Journal of General Education and Humanities
Vol. 5 No. 1 (2026): February

Correlation Between English Learning Motivation and Daily Vocabulary Mastery of Grade VIII Students at SMP Negeri 5 Palu

Aulia, Shiva (Unknown)
Marhum, Mochtar (Unknown)
Hasyim, Zarkiani (Unknown)
Said, Mawardin M. (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
18 Feb 2026

Abstract

Many junior high school students experience difficulty actively using English vocabulary in authentic communication, and their level of learning motivation may contribute to this difficulty. This study aimed to examine the correlation between English learning motivation and daily vocabulary mastery among eighth-grade students at SMP Negeri 5 Palu. A quantitative correlational research design was employed. The population consisted of 131 students, and 50 students were selected through simple random sampling. Data were collected using a 20-item Likert-scale questionnaire measuring intrinsic, extrinsic, integrative, and instrumental motivation, and a 20-item multiple-choice test assessing daily vocabulary mastery. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Spearman’s rho correlation analysis due to non-normal data distribution. The results showed that students’ motivation was generally high (M = 77.04), and their daily vocabulary mastery was at a good level (M = 74.20). A very strong, statistically significant positive correlation was found between the two variables (r = 0.876, p < 0.01). These findings indicate that higher motivation is strongly associated with better daily vocabulary mastery.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

gehu

Publisher

Subject

Humanities Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Mathematics Other

Description

The Journal of General Education and Humanities (GEHU) is a peer-reviewed scholarly online journal. The GEHU is published quarterly in February, May, August, and November. The GEHU is a non-profit journal whose publication is free of charge. The articles should be original, unpublished, and not ...