What is The Relationship between Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivation in a Group Role-Play Assessment?

learners’ engagement, persistence, and achievement. According to Self-Determination Theory (SDT), motivation is typically categorised as intrinsic, which is driven by personal interest and enjoyment, or extrinsic, which is driven by external rewards and outcomes. Although both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are commonly observed in language classrooms, previous research has primarily investigated them as separate constructs, paying little attention to their involvement in communicative and cooperative tasks such as group role-play. Hence, this quantitative study examined the relationship between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation in a group role-play assessment. An adaptation of a 5-point Likert scale survey from Studnicka (2023) and Bateman et al. (2002), which comprised 35 items that measured both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, was used to collect data. The survey was administered to 147 undergraduate students studying French in Malaysia. The findings indicated that learners had consistent positive perceptions towards both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, with all items recording mean scores above 4.0. While the consistently high mean scores suggest strong motivational perceptions, this pattern may also indicate a potential ceiling effect within the measurement scale. The findings also revealed a significant positive relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, with no significant differences across clusters. Overall, these results highlight the supportive relationship of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in collaborative language-learning tasks and highlight the importance of role-play activities in fostering sustained learner involvement in foreign language classrooms. by shaping learners’ engagement, persistence, and achievement in classroom activities. According to Self-Determination Theory, motivation is typically categorised as intrinsic, which is driven by personal interest and enjoyment, or extrinsic, which is driven by external rewards and outcomes. Although both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are commonly observed in language classrooms, previous research has primarily investigated them as separate constructs, paying little attention to their involvement in communicative and cooperative tasks such as group role-play. Hence, this quantitative study examined the relationship between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation in a group role-play assessment. An adaptation of a 5-point Likert scale survey from Studnicka (2023) and Bateman et al. (2002), which comprised 35 items that measured both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, was used to collect data. The survey was administered to 147 undergraduate students studying French in Malaysia. The findings indicated that learners had consistent positive perceptions towards both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, with all items recording mean scores above 4.0. While the consistently high mean scores suggest strong motivational perceptions, this pattern may also indicate a potential ceiling effect within the measurement scale. The findings also revealed a significant positive relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, with no significant differences across clusters. Overall, these results highlight the supportive relationship of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in collaborative language-learning tasks and highlight the importance of role-play activities in fostering sustained learner involvement in foreign language classrooms.

Intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, group role-play assessment, language learning

1. Ahmad, N., Alias, F.A., Hamat, M., & Mohamed, S.A. (2024). Reliability Analysis: Application of Cronbach’s Alpha in Research Instruments. SIG: e-L earning@CS, 114-119. https://appspenang.uitm.edu.my/sigcs/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Akhmadjonova, N., & Gaybullayeva, N. (2025). The role of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in foreign language learning. Modern Orientology, 2(1), 45–53.https://journalss.org/index.php/mod/article/view/9193 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Bateman, B., Colin Wilson, F., Bingham, D. (2002). Team effectiveness - development of an audit questionnaire. Journal of Management Development, 21(3), 215-226. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Burenkova, O. M., Arkhipova, M. V., Semenov, S. A., & Samarenkina, S. A. (2015). The use of role-play to enhance students’ motivation in foreign language learning. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 191, 2112–2116.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.04.675 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York, NY: Plenum Press.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-2271-7 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Dörnyei, Z., & Murphey, T. (2003). Group dynamics in the language classroom. Cambridge University Press.https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511667138 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. He, L. (2024). The Application of SPSS Correlation Analysis in the Study of Precision Teaching of English in Universities. Applied Mathematics and Nonlinear Science, 9(1), 1-13. http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/amns-2024-1371 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Oroujlou, N., & Vahedi, M. (2011). Motivation, attitude, and language learning. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 29, 994–1000. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.11.333 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Rahmat, N.H., Aripin, N., Razlan, A., Arepin, M., Mohandas, E.S., & Sim, M.K. (2021) Analyzing the Cadence of Group Conflicts across Gender during Online Learning. European Journal of Open Education and E-Learning Studies, 6(2),55-69. https://doi.org/10.46827/EJOE.V6I2.3886 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Ryan, R.M., & Deci, E.L (2020). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation from a self-determination theory perspective: Definition, theory, practices, and future directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 61 (April 2020), 101860. 1-31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101860 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations: Classic definitions and new directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(1), 54–67. https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.1999.1020 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Storch, N. (2002). Patterns of interaction in ESL pair work. Language Learning, 52(1), 119–158. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9922.00179 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Storch, N., & Wigglesworth, G. (2007). Investigating the role of collaboration in writing. Language Teaching Research, 11(1), 51–77. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168806072466 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Studnicka, K., Zarzycka, D., and Zalewski, J. (2023). Student satisfaction and self-confidence in learning scale (SSCL)-reliability and validity test of the Polish version. Signa Vitae. 2023; 19(5): 104-111. https://doi.org/10.22514/sv.2023.069. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Swain, M. (2000). The output hypothesis and beyond: Mediating acquisition through collaborative dialogue. In J. P. Lantolf (Ed.), Sociocultural theory and second language learning (pp. 97–114). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/0194421600.003.0005 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Thohir, M. (2025). Motivation in foreign language teaching: Revisiting intrinsic and extrinsic perspectives. Vision: Journal for Language and Foreign Language Learning, 14(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.21580/vjv6i11580 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Ushioda, E. (2019). Language learning motivation: An ethical agenda for research. System, 86, 102124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2019.102124 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Vetter, T.R. (2017). Descriptive Statistics: Reporting the Answers to the 5 Basic Questions of Who, What, Why, When, Where, and a Sixth, So What?. Anesthesia & Analgesia, 125(5), 1797-1802. https://doi.org/10.1213/ane.0000000000002471 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Ziegenfuss, J. Y., Casey A. E., Jennifer M. D., Meghan M. J., Thomas E. K, and Marna, C. (202) Impact of Demographic Survey Questions on Response Rate and Measurement: A Randomized Experiment. Survey Practice 14 (1). https://doi.org/10.29115/SP-2021-0010 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Evaluating the Impacts of Mind Mapping Strategy on Developing EFL Students’ Critical Reading Skills
• Significance of Reading Instructions for Language Improvement in Children with Down Syndrome
• Prenasalised Consonants in Liangmai
• Metadiscourse Matters: Definitions, Models, and Advantages for ESL/ EFL Writing
• Blank Minds and Stuck Voices: Understanding and Addressing Cognitive Anxiety in High-Stakes ESL Speaking Tests