THE SIGNIFICANT IMPACT OF INTRINSIC MOTIVATION ON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING (ODL) DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

For almost two years the Covid-19 virus has impacted all sectors, including the shutting down of education sectors around the world. This has forced higher education to switch from traditional classrooms to open and distance learning (ODL) modes. One of the factors that can affect the effectiveness of ODL is students’ motivation. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of intrinsic motivation elements on online learning during the ODL. This study was conducted among students in one of the public higher education institutions in East Coast Malaysia using a qualitative method approach. The data were collected through a Google Form involving 30 respondents. The data were analyzed thematically. The results revealed that ODL has positive impacts on students in terms of motivating oneself in the context of completing tasks within a given period, staying focused while studying, better trying to understand the subject learned more persistently, and strengthening personality. It is suggested that for the next study, researchers can focus on the improvements that students may be able to make in using intrinsic motivational elements in flexible learning situations, especially those involving hybrid and the combination of offline and online learning sessions. This is because the implementation of online learning is seen as beneficial to students as well as lecturers in conducting the learning sessions.