How Intrinsic Motivation Influences Students’ Writing Skills

Abstract

The objective of this research is to examine the correlation between students’ intrinsic motivation and their writing skills in the second grade of senior high school. The study was conducted at SMK Mekarwangi Insan Cendekia from March to May. The research background is students’ lack of writing skills and low motivation to learn English. Data were obtained through the Intrinsic Motivation Questionnaire and a Writing Test, both validated and reliable. Descriptive analysis indicated that students showed relatively high intrinsic motivation and good writing performance, with data normally distributed and suitable for further analysis. The correlation analysis demonstrated a strong positive relationship between intrinsic motivation and writing skills (r = 0.865), supported by hypothesis testing and linearity analysis. Among the intrinsic motivation elements, competence had the strongest correlation with writing skills (r = 0.899), while autonomy and relatedness displayed weaker associations. These findings underline the vital role of intrinsic motivation, especially competence, in enhancing students’ writing skills.