Journal of English Language and Education
Vol 11, No 2 (2026)

The Effectiveness of Reward and Punishment Strategy on Students’ Motivation in Learning English

Nuri, Mita Amalia (Unknown)
Daristin, Pipit Ertika (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
27 Apr 2026

Abstract

Low motivation in learning English poses a major challenge in Indonesian elementary schools due to its non-native status and insufficient environmental support. This pre-experimental study examined the effectiveness of reward and punishment strategies to improve fifth-grade students’ English learning motivation. Employing a one-group pretest-posttest design, 33 purposively sampled students from Class 5-D at MI Perguruan Mu’allimat completed a 10-item, 4-point Likert motivation questionnaire adapted from Purmama et al. (2019) with acceptable reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.823). SPSS analysis showed a significant increase from pre-test (M = 24.91, SD = 3.70, moderate) to post-test (M = 33.52, SD = 3.25, high), confirmed by paired t-test (t = -11.197, df = 32, p 0.001). The strategy effectively boosted motivation through immediate feedback, recognition, and consequences, addressing intrinsic and extrinsic needs via competence, autonomy, and relatedness per Self-Determination Theory. Teachers can apply age-appropriate rewards and constructive punishments to foster engaging, disciplined classrooms that sustain interest in English.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

jele

Publisher

Subject

Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Other

Description

Journal of English Language and Education (pISSN: 2597-6850 and eISSN: 2502-4132) is a journal that focuses on researching or documenting issues in education, language education, applied linguistics, English education, English language teaching, English Literature, language assessment and ...