HOW ACADEMIC STRESS INFLUENCES ENGLISH LEARNING MOTIVATION: A STUDY AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENT

Abstract

English has become widely recognized as the global lingua franca in the 21^st century. At the tertiary level, English is not solely treated as an academic subject but also a means of accessing global knowledge and academic resources. University students are increasingly expected to comprehend scholarly materials in English. Nevertheless, achieving English proficiency can be challenging, particularly for students who do not use the language regularly in daily life. Sometime it can influence the learning motivation. In light of these gaps, the present study aims to investigate the impact of academic stress on the motivation of university students in learning English in Indonesia. How does academic stress influence university students’ motivation to learn English? This study investigates the relationship between academic stress and motivation in learning English among university students. Recognizing that English proficiency is increasingly essential for academic success and career advancement, the research explores how psychological pressure from academic demands affects students’ enthusiasm and persistence in language learning. A quantitative correlational design was employed, involving 44 students from the English Education Department at the University of Islam Malang. Data were collected through questionnaires adapted from Misra and McKean’s (2000) Academic Stress Inventory and Dörnyei’s (2005) L2 Motivational Self System. Descriptive and inferential analyses using SPSS revealed that students experienced moderate to high levels of academic stress, primarily caused by workload, deadlines, and concerns about academic performance. Despite this, most respondents exhibited moderate to high motivation, driven by both instrumental (career-oriented) and intrinsic (self-development) goals. Pearson’s correlation analysis showed a significant negative relationship between academic stress and English learning motivation (r = –0.426, p = 0.004), indicating that as stress increases, motivation decreases. The findings support Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985) and previous research asserting that excessive stress undermines students’ sense of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, thereby diminishing intrinsic motivation. The study concludes that academic stress is a critical factor influencing students’ engagement in English learning. It recommends that educators and institutions implement stress management programs, autonomy-supportive teaching practices, and flexible academic policies to sustain students’ motivation and psychological well-being in higher education.