ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Educational Psychology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1612002
The predictive effect of extrinsic motivation on English online learning engagement
Provisionally accepted
- College of Foreign Languages, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China
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This study investigates the predictive role of extrinsic motivation on online learning engagement among Chinese non-English-major undergraduates, framed within Self-Determination Theory (SDT). Through a questionnaire survey of 472 students in hybrid teaching environments, the research examines the interplay between extrinsic motivation subtypes (external, introjected, identified, and integrated regulation) and multidimensional online engagement (behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and social). Results reveal that extrinsic motivation is predominantly manifested through autonomous forms (identified and integrated regulation), while overall online engagement remains moderate, with social engagement lagging significantly. Correlation and structural equation modeling analyses demonstrate that all extrinsic motivation subtypes positively predict engagement, with introjected regulation (less autonomous) exhibiting the strongest predictive power. These findings validate the continuity of motivational regulation in SDT and highlight the context-specificity of extrinsic motivation's effects, providing theoretical insights for understanding motivation-engagement dynamics and pedagogical implications for optimizing hybrid teaching policies and motivational strategies in global foreign language contexts.
Keywords: extrinsic motivation, Online learning engagement, self-determination theory, hybrid teaching environment, College English
Received: 15 Apr 2025; Accepted: 15 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Xu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Zhixin Xu, College of Foreign Languages, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China
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