A Motivational Model for Online Learning in Malaysian Universities for International Students

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-686-4_15How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Higher Education; Online Learning; Motivational Model; Student’s Satisfaction; Malaysian University

Abstract

This study develops a motivational model for online learning targeted at international students in Malaysian universities, exploring the influence of autonomy, competence, and relatedness on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, student engagement, and overall satisfaction. Utilizing a refined instrument of 37 items, initially composed of 63, adjustments were made after evaluating variance inflation factors (VIF) and discriminant validity, ensuring robust analysis. Data were collected from 195 international students via multi-stage cluster sampling across three universities. Employing partial least squares Structural Equation Modeling (pls-SEM), the analysis confirmed significant pathways in the model. Autonomy strongly influenced extrinsic motivation (β = 0.482, p < 0.001) and had moderate impacts on intrinsic motivation (β = 0.131, p = 0.002) and student engagement (β = 0.318, p = 0.004). Competence significantly enhanced intrinsic motivation (β = 0.360, p < 0.001) and had a less pronounced effect on engagement (β = 0.073, p = 0.260). Relatedness prominently supported both forms of motivation (extrinsic β = 0.411, p < 0.001; intrinsic β = 0.518, p < 0.001) and showed a negative relationship with engagement (β = -0.219, p = 0.006). The study elucidates that while autonomy, competence, and relatedness are foundational to fostering motivation, their effects on engagement and satisfaction are distinct. Autonomy and relatedness notably boost motivational factors, whereas competence primarily influences intrinsic motivation. Engagement significantly predicts satisfaction (β = 0.479, p < 0.001), underscoring its critical mediating role. This study’s primary contribution is the integration of motivational factors within a structured model that elucidates their specific and combined impacts on engagement and satisfaction. This model provides a practical framework for optimizing online learning outcomes, enhancing the theoretical understanding of student motivation and informing educational strategies in Malaysian higher education.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Mohammed Y. M. Mai
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/04/28
TI  - A Motivational Model for Online Learning in Malaysian Universities for International Students
BT  - Proceeding of the 10th International Conference on Lifelong Education and Leadership for ALL (ICLEL 2024)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 164
EP  - 179
SN  - 2667-128X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-686-4_15
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-686-4_15
ID  - Mai2025
ER  -