Abstract:

The high number of non-enrolment students had decreased the retention rates in the Indonesia Open University. Prior studies revealed that psychological attributes had significant contributions on student persistence. Therefore, this study was aimed to explore contribution of self-motivation in increasing student persistence by employing mixed methods approach. Student persistence in this study refers to continuation of enrolment within four consecutive semesters. The design of sequential explanatory study was selected by obtaining the quantitative findings from surveying 153 students and then followed by semi-structured interview with 13 purposefully selected participants. In the quantitative phase, the results of the study revealed that intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and volitional strategies had important contribution to student persistence. Meanwhile, the qualitative phase demonstrated that intrinsic and extrinsic motivation did not stand in conflict each other in influencing student persistence in the Indonesia Open University. These findings contributed to the knowledge of academic motivation in Open University Contexts that extrinsic motivation could not undermine learner’s intrinsic motivation but tend to co-exist together in affecting student persistence. Moreover, Implications for practice was also provided in this study.

Keywords:

Student Persistence, Self-Motivation, Open University.