Analysis of the Role of Independent Learning Motivation in

English Language Education Students at Medan State University

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Almaidah Amalia Batubara , Dhea Ani Clarissa Sitohang ,Ulfa Wahidah

English Department | Faculty of Languages and Arts | State University of Medan

2024

Abstract

This study explores the motivation and initiative in independent learning among
English Education students at Universitas Negeri Medan (UNIMED) using a qualitative
descriptive approach. Independent learning is increasingly essential in today's rapidly
changing world, requiring individuals to develop critical thinking and adaptability
skills. Previous research has identified multiple roles that students take on in self-
directed learning, such as planner, researcher, and creator, which significantly enhance
their motivation and independent learning capabilities. The study employs Descriptive
Qualitative with the questionnaire as instrument to collect data from 30 students,
focusing on various aspects such as their initiative in seeking learning resources,
developing learning strategies, and participating in learning activities. Findings show
that majority of students 85% actively use the internet and libraries initiatively,
regularly develop and refine their learning strategies, and engage in collaborative
learning activities. High levels of external encouragement from family and friends,
alongside a foundation of good independent learning habits, further support their
motivation. These insights underscore the crucial role of accessible learning resources
and internal motivation, as explained by Protection Motivation Theory (PMT), in
fostering effective independent learning. The study concludes that UNIMED students
exhibit strong motivation and initiative in their independent learning efforts,
highlighting the need for educational environments that promote and support these
attributes.

Keywords: Independent Learning, Students’ role, Motivation, Sel-efficacy, Protection Motivation Theory
A. INTRODUCTION University (UNIMED), face the
1.1 Background of the Study challenge of not only providing
academic knowledge to their students,
Independent learning is a
but also developing independent
necessity in the modern era because it
learning skills. Learning independence
allows individuals to improve their
is one of the competencies that students
abilities and knowledge effectively. In
must have to compete in the ever-
this world, people have to learn
changing world of work and life.
independently because not all
UNIMED English Language Education
information can be obtained through
students are required to have good
formal education (Jaswita, et al., 2020).
independent learning skills because of
For example, technology and innovation
the nature of this discipline which
that continues to develop requires
requires in-depth understanding and
people to learn independently so they
practical application in various contexts.
can keep up with these developments.
Independent learning allows students to
Apart from that, independent learning
develop the critical thinking skills,
also helps people to improve their
creativity and initiative needed in their
critical and analytical thinking skills, as
future professions, both as educators
well as increase their ability to adapt to
and other professionals.
changes that occur around them.
Therefore, independent learning is a High motivation is very
must to prepare oneself to face the important because it encourages
challenges and changes that occur in students to take the initiative in
this world. learning. Motivated students are more
likely to actively seek out additional
Fernández-Toro & Hurd (2014)
learning resources, manage their study
stated that independent learning
time well, and strive to understand
involves various student roles, such as
content thoroughly. Independent
learner, planner, researcher,
learning initiative, on the other hand,
collaborator, assessor, creator,
indicates a student's ability to take the
presenter, and reflector. These roles can
necessary steps to achieve his or her
increase motivation for independent
learning goals. This includes the ability
learning. Higher education institutions
in Indonesia, including Medan State

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to plan, manage time, and utilize
available resources efficiently.
This research aims to analyze the
motivation and independent learning
initiative of UNIMED English
Language Education students through a
qualitative descriptive approach. This
approach allows researchers to gain an
in-depth understanding of students'
experiences, views and perceptions
regarding their motivation and initiative
in independent learning.
1.2 Research Problems of the Study
1. What is the most requent motivation
for independent learning among English
Language Educatin students at Medan
State University ?
2. Why is this motivation so prevalent
in autonomous learning among English
Language Education Students at Medan
State University?
1.3 Objectives/Purpose of the Study
This study aims to the purpose of
this study is to identify the most
frequently occurring motivations for
independent learning among English
Education students at Universitas
Negeri Medan and analyze the reasons
why these motivations are the most
common in the context of independent
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learning among English Education
Students at Universitasa Negeri Medan.
B. LITERATURE REVIEW
Motivation for independent learning
among students determines their success
in this field. Fernández-Toro and Hurd
(2014) emphasized the diverse roles
students take on in self-directed
learning, including learner, planner,
researcher, collaborator, assessor,
creator, presenter, and reflector.
The learner's role is fundamental to
self-directed learning, which requires
students to take responsibility for their
education by engaging in course
material and seeking out additional
resources. This involves setting goals
and prioritizing tasks to achieve them,
fostering a sense of ownership and
motivation. Planning is another
important role, as students must plan
their learning effectively by setting
goals and organizing assignments to
stay focused and cover all required
material. Assessment plays an important
role, as students evaluate their progress
and performance, using self-assessment
tools to identify areas that need to
improve and adjust their strategies.
Creativity is also key, because students
generate new knowledge and ideas, enabling a rich understanding of
apply what they have learned to real students' experiences and perceptions.
world situations, develop problem
Qualitative descriptive research
solving skills and creativity.
is a methodological approach that aims
In conclusion, Protection Motivation to provide a comprehensive summary of
Theory (PMT) is a fundamental theory a phenomenon in a straightforward and
and is widely used in understanding easy to understand manner. It focuses
information security behavior and on describing and interpreting an
behavioral intentions. Despite its individual's experiences, behavior,
diverse applications, there are beliefs, and interactions in their natural
limitations and criticisms that require environment. According to Sandelowski
further exploration and refinement. (2000), qualitative descriptive research
Future research can improve existing is very useful when researchers seek to
knowledge by expanding PMT and understand participants' experiences and
exploring its application in various perspectives in a particular context
domains, thereby contributing to a more without imposing a preconceived
comprehensive understanding of human theoretical framework or interpretation.
motivation and behavior. This approach allows researchers to
capture the richness and complexity of
C. METHODOLOGY
human experience in an accessible and
Type of Research meaningful way.

This research uses a qualitative Key characteristics of qualitative

descriptive research design to explore descriptive research include a focus on
the motivation and initiative of Medan specific details of the phenomenon
State University (UNIMED) English under study, a reliance on naturalistic
Language Education students in methods of inquiry such as interviews,
independent learning. Qualitative observation, and document analysis, and
descriptive research was chosen because emphasis on generating themes and
of its ability to provide detailed and inductive patterns from the data.
straightforward explanations of the
Research data and Data Sources
phenomena under study, thereby

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 The data collection instrument, Data Analysis
which is a Google Forms questionnaire,
Accessibility and availability of
will be distributed to the participants
additional learning resources may play
electronically. The questionnaire
an important role. If students feel that
consists of Likert-scale questions and
they have easy and broad access to
open-ended questions to assess students'
additional learning resources such as the
motivation and initiative in independent
internet and libraries, they may be more
learning. Participants will be asked to
inclined to actively seek them out.
complete the questionnaire within a
Internal motivation can also influence
specified timeframe, typically one to
the initial search for learning resources.
two weeks, to ensure timely data
Students who have high intrinsic
collection.
motivation to learn may be more
After the data collection period, motivated to seek out additional
the researchers will download the learning resources to deepen their
responses from Google Forms and understanding of a subject.
organize them for analysis. The
In Protection Motivation Theory
responses will be anonymized to ensure
(PMT), factors such as perceived threat
the confidentiality of the participants.
and self-efficacy influence a person's
The researchers will proceed then with
motivation to adopt a particular
the data analysis process, which
behavior. In this context, students who
involves coding the responses,
have high intrinsic motivation may have
identifying common themes and
a higher perception of the threat of
patterns, and interpreting the findings to
ignorance or lack of understanding, so
draw conclusions about students'
they are more motivated to seek
motivation and initiative in independent
additional learning resources. In
learning.
addition, high self-efficacy can also
Additionally, the researchers strengthen this motivation, because
will keep detailed records of the data students believe that their efforts to seek
collection process to ensure additional learning resources will be
transparency and replicability of the effective in increasing their
study. understanding. PMT emphasizes that a
person's behavior to overcome threats is

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influenced by two main factors: self-
efficacy and perception of
effectiveness of the response (response
efficacy). In this context, students'
motivation to seek additional learning
resources can be understood through
these two concepts. First, self-efficacy
refers to a person's belief in their ability
to carry out certain behaviors. In this
case, students who have high motivation
in seeking additional learning resources
may have a high level of self-efficacy
regarding their ability to find relevant
and useful learning resources. They
believe that they can overcome barriers
such as information complexity or time
constraints in seeking additional
learning resources.
Second, the perception
response effectiveness (response
efficacy) is related to a person's belief
that the response they choose will be
the effective in overcoming the threat. In
this context, students who are motivated
to seek out additional learning resources
may believe that this action will be
effective in increasing their
understanding of course material and
reducing feelings of uncertainty or
confusion regarding learning.
In addition, the concepts of
threat and response in PMT can also be
applied in this context. Students who
have high motivation in seeking
additional learning resources may have
a high perception of the threat of
ignorance or lack of understanding.
They felt that the appropriate response,
namely seeking additional learning
of resources, was an effective way to
address this threat and increase their
understanding.

D. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

The data is presented in a Likert scale questionnaire format, which allows for
quantitative analysis. Here is an interpretation of the data.

Data Respondents
Initiative in Seeking Learning Resources 85%
Initiative in Developing Learning 80%
Strategies
Initiative in Participating in Learning 75%

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 Activities
Support Systems
Access to Resources
System Flexibility
Habits of Independent Learning
Motivation Factor
Based on the data collected from 30
English Education students
Universitas Negeri Medan (UNIMED),
several key findings emerge regarding
students' motivation and initiative in
independent learning.
1. Initiative in Seeking Learning
Resources
The data indicates that
85% of students reported using
the internet and libraries to find
relevant information.
demonstrates a proactive
approach to seeking additional
learning resources outside of the
classroom, indicating a high
level of initiative in this aspect
of independent learning.
2. Initiative in Developing
Learning Strategies
80% of students reported
making structured plans and
adjusting their strategies
regularly. This suggests that
students are actively engaged in
developing and refining their
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70%
65%
60%
55%
70%
learning strategies to improve
at their effectiveness in
independent learning.
3. Initiative in Participating in
Learning Activities
75% of students reported
actively participating in group
discussions or online forums.
This indicates a willingness to
engage with peers and share
knowledge, which is essential
for collaborative learning and
This
enhancing understanding.
4. Motivational Factors
70% of students reported
receiving strong encouragement
from family and friends to
engage in independent learning.
This external motivation plays a
significant role in encouraging
students to pursue independent
learning activities.
5. Initiative
65% of students reported
having good habits of
independent learning before
 entering UNIMED. This motivation may have a higher
suggests that students already perception of the threat of ignorance or
possess a foundation of lack of understanding, so they are more
independent learning skills, motivated to seek additional learning
which may contribute to their resources. Apart from that, high self-
overall success in independent efficacy can also strengthen this
learning. motivation, because students believe
that their efforts to find additional
E. Conclusion
learning resources will be effective in
Data analysis suggests that increasing their understanding.
accessibility and availability of
These findings show that
additional learning resources may play
UNIMED English Language Education
an important role. Apart from that,
students have high motivation and
internal motivation can also influence
initiative in independent learning,
initiative in looking for learning
driven by factors such as accessibility of
resources. In this context, motivation
learning resources, internal motivation
theory and independent learning
and external encouragement. This
initiative can be explained through
shows the importance of creating a
Rogers' Protection Motivation Theory
learning environment that supports and
(PMT) which emphasizes that a person's
encourages student motivation and
behavior in overcoming threats is
initiative in independent learning.
influenced by two main factors, namely
self-efficacy and perceived response
effectiveness. In this context, students
who have high intrinsic learning

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