A Study on Motivation and Self-Regulated Learning Strategies among Japanese and English Learners

The growing demand for multilingual talent highlights the importance of learning languages such as Japanese and English. In these languages, motivation drives success, and self-regulated learning strategies help students manage their own learning. As language instructors, we aim to understand how motivation and self-regulated learning strategies influence students' success in both elective Japanese and required English courses, to enhance teaching methods and support the diverse students' needs. This research examines the motivation and self-regulated strategies employed by undergraduate students learning these two languages. A quantitative survey, based on Pintrich & De Groot’s (1990) framework, was conducted with 282 undergraduate students at a public university in Malaysia. The survey consisted of three sections: Section A gathered demographic information, Section B focused on motivational beliefs, and Section C covered self-regulated learning strategies. The findings revealed that students exhibited high self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation, but test anxiety hindered performance. Although students used effective cognitive strategies, they struggled to identify key concepts in reading comprehension. A positive correlation (r = 0.717) was found between motivation and self-control, suggesting that highly motivated students are more likely to use better self-control strategies. Educators should focus on promoting effective cognitive strategies while also working to improve self-efficacy, motivation, and reducing test anxiety. Future research could explore the influence of demographic factors and language ability on beliefs about motivation and self-control.