The Effect of Social-Emotional Learning and Differentiated Instruction on Students’ Motivation to Learn English at Senior High School, West Sulawesi

Arwin H. Aruji (English Education Study Program Postgraduate Program Universitas Negeri Makassar)
Sukardi Weda (English Education Study Program Postgraduate Program Universitas Negeri Makassar)
Abdullah (English Education Study Program Postgraduate Program Universitas Negeri Makassar)

IDEAS: Journal on English Language Teaching and Learning, Linguistics and Literature
Vol. 14 No. 2 (2026): IDEAS: Journal on English Language Teaching and Learning, Linguistics and Lite

This study investigated the effect of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and Differentiated Instruction (DI) on students’ motivation to learn English at SMAN 1 Sesenapadang, West Sulawesi. The study was motivated by the low motivation of students in learning English, reflected in passive classroom participation, low confidence, and the tendency to learn English only for examination purposes. In the context of the Merdeka Curriculum, English learning is expected to be meaningful, student-centered, adaptive, and supportive of students’ social-emotional development. This research employed a quantitative descriptive design to examine the patterns of influence between instructional and psychosocial variables and students’ learning motivation without applying experimental treatment. The population consisted of all students of SMAN 1 Sesenapadang, while the sample consisted of 87 students selected through stratified random sampling to ensure proportional representation across classes. The data were collected using validated Likert-scale questionnaires measuring Social-Emotional Learning, Differentiated Instruction, and motivation to learn English. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, classical assumption tests, multiple linear regression, partial t-tests, simultaneous F-test, and coefficient of determination with SPSS. The findings revealed that Social-Emotional Learning had a positive and significant effect on students’ motivation to learn English, with a regression coefficient of 0.550, t-value of 4.771, and significance value of 0.000. Differentiated Instruction also had a positive and significant effect, with a regression coefficient of 0.592, t-value of 2.962, and significance value of 0.004. Simultaneously, SEL and DI significantly affected students’ motivation, as indicated by F = 18.451 and Sig. = 0.000. The R Square value of 0.305 showed that 30.5% of students’ motivation was explained by SEL and DI. The study concludes that integrating social-emotional support and differentiated instructional practices can meaningfully enhance students’ motivation in English learning.