Comparing Internal and External Factors of Student Motivation in Saudi Arabian and South Korean Schools Motivation is a unique phenomenon. Merriam Webster online dictionary defines motivation as the act or process of giving someone a reason for doing something ( ). Psychologists define motivation as a force that drives somebody to behave in a particular way, especially when it comes to fulfilling personal goals (Oniyama & Oniyama, 2005). Student motivation is described as the ability to “stimulate academic learners to behave in a desirable way that favors quality outcomes whether it be in academics, sports or other extracurricular activities” (Christiana, 2009, p. ). One researcher described the term motivation as, “What get people going, keeps them going, and helps them finish tasks” (Pinrich, 2003, p. ). Of great importance when addressing motivating is identifying the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation comes from external factors that are not related to the task. An example is a learner striving to achieve good grades because they want to get a good job. Intrinsic motivation, on the other hand, comes from internal factors related to the task. Analysts sometimes refer to intrinsic motivation as self-or personal motivation, which propel one with the need to fulfill personal desires. A learner striving to achieve good grades because he/she wants to be a scholar exhibits intrinsic motivation (Christiana, 2009). These motivational factors are very important for the student to take ownership of his or her success; therefore, a teacher can stimulate motivation, but the student must want to be motivated in order to succeed. From an intrinsic perspective, students need to be encouraged to consider how performing well in a particular discipline, such as mathematics, would make them feel (Delong & Winter, 2002). Teachers working with students need to rely on aspects such as personal fulfillment to help students appreciate a particular subject on a more personal level (Tiwari, Tiwari, & Sharma, 2014). Internal motivation is difficult to achieve yet the benefits are long lasting and very effective. The intrinsic factors cover students’ involvement, curiosity, challenges, and social interaction (Faulkner, 2009). External motivation is highly dependent on the use of assorted rewards. Reward based approach is only effective for a short time and once the headlined objectives are attained, it is easy for an individual to lose a sense of motivation. Extrinsic motivation is appropriate and useful, but psychologists recommend rewards for short-term goals and internal for longer term goals (Delong & Winter, 2002). Regardless of its effectiveness or the duration of the effectiveness, these variables can be used to motivate students towards a desired performance. Motivation directs the behavior of an individual towards particular goals. Goals can either be short term or long term. In either case, it is the motiva.

1. Comparing Internal and External Factors of Student Motivation
in Saudi Arabian and South Korean Schools
Motivation is a unique phenomenon. Merriam Webster online
dictionary defines motivation as the act or process of giving
someone a reason for doing something ( ). Psychologists
define motivation as a force that drives somebody to behave in a
particular way, especially when it comes to fulfilling personal
goals (Oniyama & Oniyama, 2005). Student motivation is
described as the ability to “stimulate academic learners to
behave in a desirable way that favors quality outcomes whether
it be in academics, sports or other extracurricular activities”
(Christiana, 2009, p. ). One researcher described the term
motivation as, “What get people going, keeps them going, and
helps them finish tasks” (Pinrich, 2003, p. ).
Of great importance when addressing motivating is identifying
the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
Extrinsic motivation comes from external factors that are not
related to the task. An example is a learner striving to achieve
good grades because they want to get a good job. Intrinsic
motivation, on the other hand, comes from internal factors
related to the task. Analysts sometimes refer to intrinsic
motivation as self-or personal motivation, which propel one
with the need to fulfill personal desires. A learner striving to
achieve good grades because he/she wants to be a scholar
exhibits intrinsic motivation (Christiana, 2009). These
motivational factors are very important for the student to take
ownership of his or her success; therefore, a teacher can
stimulate motivation, but the student must want to be motivated
in order to succeed.
From an intrinsic perspective, students need to be encouraged to
consider how performing well in a particular discipline, such as
mathematics, would make them feel (Delong & Winter, 2002).
Teachers working with students need to rely on aspects such as
personal fulfillment to help students appreciate a particular

2. subject on a more personal level (Tiwari, Tiwari, & Sharma,
2014). Internal motivation is difficult to achieve yet the benefits
are long lasting and very effective. The intrinsic factors cover
students’ involvement, curiosity, challenges, and social
interaction (Faulkner, 2009).
External motivation is highly dependent on the use of
assorted rewards. Reward based approach is only effective for a
short time and once the headlined objectives are attained, it is
easy for an individual to lose a sense of motivation. Extrinsic
motivation is appropriate and useful, but psychologists
recommend rewards for short-term goals and internal for longer
term goals (Delong & Winter, 2002). Regardless of its
effectiveness or the duration of the effectiveness, these
variables can be used to motivate students towards a desired
performance.
Motivation directs the behavior of an individual towards
particular goals. Goals can either be short term or long term. In
either case, it is the motivation in an individual that creates that
driving force that influences individuals to put in an effort to
achieve their goals. Motivation also contributes to the increase
in effort and persistence by an individual. The greater the
motivation, the more the effort and time they will put in the
realization of their set goals (Ormord, 2012, p. 190).
Motivation also affects the cognitive process, the way the brain
processes information. Motivated learners are more likely to
pay attention thus try to understand and elaborate on the
learning material. Another way that motivation influence
learning is that it determines what consequences are rewarding
and punishing. It is more satisfying to get an A for a learner
who is motivated to achieve academic success. Likewise, it is
more painful for them to get an F or even a B after putting in
that much effort. Overall, as a result of the above-discussed
effects, motivation leads to an increase in the performance of an
individual as they strive to achieve their goals (Ormord, 2012, p
190).
The quest to become successful in society is one aspect that

3. internally pushes many students to perform well academically or
in in extra-curricular activities.
Motivation is one of the important topics that has been
researched and is still being constantly investigated to
understand factors that motivate students from different cultures
and assess which are effective because different cultures have
different motivating factors (Springsteen, 2014). Motivation
could be a key point to education reform (Jenkins, 2011). It is
well understood that motivation plays an important role for
learning to occur but how and why type of motivation is not
completely understood. The goal of teachers is to try and
understand what motivates learners and to identify the problems
that may face so they can solve them (Hedge, 2001).
In the current technologically competitive world, it is upon the
quality of a countries current education system that more likely
serves to make the country can a powerhouse on the global map.
(Gilakjani, Lai-Mei & Sabouri, 2012).
Good academic performance in schools, therefore, depends on
how well the students and the entire schools are motivated and
what serves as motivators (Delong & Winter, 2002). When
creating a learning environment that is motivating, educators
struggle to determine what are motivators for the group and
what are motivators for an individual student and how to best
used those motivating factors (Christiana, 2009). This study
explores the literature on student motivation, an aspect that is
not limited by geographical boundaries but affects students
worldwide, to better understand how it affects student learning.
Regardless of racial, social or economic reasons people are
motivated to accomplish goals but their goals may not be to
succeed in school or to be successful in all subjects within a
school (Tiwari, Tiwari, & Sharma, 2014). Some factors such as
family support, teacher’s actions and even classmate behavior
affect students’ participation, attitude and motivation for an
education. What stimulates students to perform in a particular
way is personal but also reflective of their particular cultures
(Springsteen, 2014). This includes simple aspects such as

4. effectiveness of the classroom environment. Student’s
motivational levels tend to differ with various factors: such as
how well their basic needs have been met, the level of arousal
they may need, what makes they feel competent and have
feelings of self-worth or self-competency, to have degree of
autonomy they desire, and their need for relatedness (Ormord,
2012, pp 184-189). This explains why students perform
differently despite the fact they share the same academic
environment. To minimize the discrepancy of academic
performance between students, the issue of student motivation
has to be considered (Kusurkar, Ten Cate, Vos, Westers, &
Croiset, 2013).
Some schools tend to use strict rules, which can make students
feel they can never succeed and serve to de-motivate students.
A balanced school should have in place a situation where minor
mistakes are allowed. Positive emotions tend to play a huge part
in enhancing student motivation. (Cifu, 2012) When all these
aspects are put into play in creating a habitable classroom
environment, students will be motivated.
The content shared in the classroom, the method or process used
for teaching, and the school environment, both between the
teachers and students as well as the physical location, are some
factors that influence the motivational level of the students in
both countries. The content should connect with students and be
relevant to real life. It should involve critical thinking and
creativity. Furthermore, the use of technology as a teaching and
learning tool can serve as a motivational tool (Khan, 2011).
Other teaching strategies that serve as motivational tools are
encouragement and praise, storytelling, and quizzes. The
relational and physical environment in which students learn is
also a key factor in motivation. In education, the environment is
the varied physical locations, diversity in culture and different
context present within a learning center. An environment that
the child feels’ comfortable in is more likely to achieve a
motivating factor as compared to one that emits discomfort for
the same learner. The intellectual environment encourages

5. competition and motivates the slow learning students primarily
to work harder and become like their more intellectual peers.
Often students are more motivated to work when learning in a
team with other students (Williams & Williams, 2011)
Achieving, intrinsic motivation is difficult but provides positive
results to the students (Jenkins, 2008). Basic psychological
needs also have a significant effect on people’s motivation and
psychological well being. These needs vary for individuals and
in different situations. Everyone has a basic need for arousal to
do things to optimal levels. There is also the need or
competence and self-worth for people to effectively deal with
their environment. The need for autonomy is also another basic
psychological need where people want to gain control over want
they want to do as well as take charge of their lives. The last
psychological need is the need for relatedness where people
want to feel connected to other people (Ormord, 2012).
Comment by Minadene Waldrop: Do you have a reference
for this statement? Can you explain how quizzes serve as a
motivational factor?
Researchers have identified various ways in which culture
affects cognitive factors underlying motivation. One of the
cultural and ethnic differences in motivation is self-worth.
Western culture encourages thinking and being good at certain
things and thus an individual will engage in self-handicapping
behaviors to justify poor performance. On the other hand, East
Asian cultures work towards correcting existing weaknesses. A
sense of autonomy is also another major cultural difference on
motivation. Children are offered more autonomy on decision-
making at a younger age in the Native American culture unlike
in the Western culture. Another major difference is relatedness.
Unlike in the Western culture where children spend more time
socializing with their peers, children from the Asian culture
seek teacher’s approval and attention. Values and goals also
differ from one culture to another as regards motivation. Asian
cultures instill more extrinsic motivation while European
cultures encourage more of intrinsic motivation in children.

6. Learners’ cultural and ethnic backgrounds influence their
attributions as well (Ormord, 2012, pp .184-189).
The classroom environment plays a greater role in shaping the
academic performance of any student. It is within these four
walls that students tend to spend most of the time and hopefully
trying to achieve academic excellence. For most school leaders,
classrooms do present intellectual spaces, but from an analytical
point of view, classrooms are more than that. Given the fact that
students spend more than seven hours, five days a week, in
classrooms, the environment needs to be very captivating for
academic excellence to be attained. Creating motivational
classroom environments means having the physical
surroundings comfortable (Rangachari, 2007; Dörnyei, 2007).
Studies about Saudi Arabian Students
Even though Saudi Arabia continues to spend much money and
effort into education, the country is not rated high in results as
compared to other countries. South Korea also spends large
amounts on education but the amount paid of private
expenditure is higher than the OCED average (OECD, 2014). In
the 2010 International Mathematics Olympiad, Saudi Arabian
students scored only 55 points out of a possible two hundred
and fifty-two points. Students from South Korean scored ____
points. This particular research is examining if student
motivation accounts for the difference in ranking for students in
Saudi Arabia and South Korea.
Studies about Saudi Arabian Students
According to Moores-Abdool et al. (2009), in Saudi Arabia, it is
believed teachers who teach in English support Christianity and
secularism. Saudi students speak Arabic to study the Koran and
express their faith in God. Teachers can increase the motivation
level of the students by connecting the students’ personal goals
with learning. Male students are supposed to have goals of
doing work, while girls do not always have such goals or
aspirations. Comment by Minadene Waldrop: Describe the
article. Tell who they studied, how they conducted their study
and what they learned. Each study should be somewhere

7. between a half-page to a full page.
Khan (2011) studied the factors that motivate students in Saudi
Arabia and he discovered the factors that motivate students are
interactive activities, attitude change, and paying attention in
class. He also realized that pedagogical input is another factor
that promotes students’ learning. His research revealed Saudi
students are not self-motivated (Khan, 2011). The biggest
discovery that he made was that in as much as the government
injects a lot of money in education, the results were way below
the expectation. The study was successful in pointing out social,
cultural factors, motivation and the role teachers’ play as the
factors that affect performance. Comment by MacBook AIr:
Describe the article. Tell who they studied, how they conducted
their study and what they learned. Each study should be
somewhere between a half-page to a full page.
Therefore, as Aslam (2014) states, lack of motivation is found
in female students in Saudi Arabia; however, the factors that
positively affect students are supportive family, likable
teachers, and a safe school atmosphere. Comment by MacBook
AIr: Describe the article. Tell who they studied, how they
conducted their study and what they learned. Each study should
be somewhere between a half-page to a full page.
Springsteen (2014) compares descriptions others provided of
Saudi Arabian students with his own experiences teaching these
students. She heard or read Saudi Arabian students have a lack
of confidence, were lazy and poor planners, had poor attitudes
toward education, and often were negligent and overall not
motivated to do well in education. These characteristics were
attributed to the family environment and cultural issues such as
not having to work outside of the classroom. Comment by
MacBook AIr: Describe the article. Tell who they studied, how
they conducted their study and what they learned. Each study
should be somewhere between a half-page to a full page.
Studies about South Korean Students
The perceptions people have of South Korean students are that
they must be highly motivated because the country has one of

8. the best education systems in the world. Several studies about
these students provide more insight in to the motivation factors
affecting them.
In Motivating Korean Elementary Students, Faulkner (2009)
explains that South Korean parents spend a lot of resources on
their children’s education. For example, they often pay for extra
tutorial classes. The students are highly motivated towards
colleges because of their association with social status and good
jobs. Moreover, South Korean teachers teach with dedication,
receive a good salary and have a high social status. For South
Korea, the reason for the invasive technique of student
motivation is to be at the top of the world both economically
and intellectually. Students from South Korea have been reared
in an environment that highly values intellectual capabilities. It
is through such advantages that a country comes up with
solutions that are viable worldwide. The rate of innovations
from South Korea is far ahead of Saudi Arabia given the fact
that the country prioritizes science and math, disciplines that
are not performed well in Saudi Arabia. A lesson that can be
adopted from South Korea is that student motivation is an
aspect that can occur naturally but when need arises; it needs to
be forced in place (Faulkner, 2009).Comment by MacBook AIr:
Now take this article and explain who they studied and what
they learned. Make it everything you write clear and have it to
fit together. You may have to add and change some of what you
have written and you definitely will need to add more.
Niederhauser (2012), an English as a second language teacher in
a South Korean university, described what motivates South
Korean students. She states that the lack of difficulty for
meeting college requirements, students’ inability of students to
choose their majors, and women’s scarcity of career
opportunities are large motivated factors. Also students’ prior
learning experience is another factor that demotivates them.
College students have had approximately six years of English
classes. Still they are no able to speak English. Students’
frustration with their lack of skills serves to prevent them from

9. wanting to learn. Finally, the lack of positive role models for
English learners and Korean attitudes toward foreign languages
and cultures also influence student motivation. Comment by
Minadene Waldrop: Now take this article and explain who they
studied and what they learned. Make it everything you write
clear and have it to fit together. You may have to add and
change some of what you have written and you definitely will
need to add more.
Kwon (2016) studied students’ motivation for learning
technology in South Korean middle school students. Learning
technology to achieve a prestige job was a high motivator but
more so for male than female students. Comment by Minadene
Waldrop: This needs more discussion. Now take this article and
explain who they studied and what they learned. Make it
everything you write clear and have it to fit together. You may
have to add and change some of what you have written and you
definitely will need to add more.
Comparisons
The studies included in this research about Saudi Arabia and
South Korea had similarities
but there are differences that have to be noted. The ages of the
students in the studies are different. Most were university level
except for Kwon’s study about middle school students (Kwon,
2016). The majority of the studies were about students studying
English but Kwon’s study was about students studying
technology. The Saudi Arabian students were female university
students, some in private schools and other in public
universities. The South Korean students were male and female.
Faulkner (2009) indicates that since most South Korean students
are attracted to intellectual success, they usually brush aside the
fact that they were forced into learning English and make it a
personal affair. By analyzing this scenario, the dynamics of
motivational force have shifted from an extrinsic level to an
internal one. The cause of such shifts highly depends on the
viability of the external source, in comparing the two countries,
is an aspect that is missing in Saudi Arabia. To be more

10. efficient incorporate English, Saudi Arabia could also consider
changing the curriculum (Maherzi, 2011). Comment by
Minadene Waldrop: Check your word choice here. Do you mean
they begin to care about learning English? Or does it become
internal motivation?
Content
Saudi Arabia and South Korea manifest different sources of
motivation for their students. While in South Korea, the
teachers are the significant source of motivation; family support
plays the role of the students’ motivation in Saudi Arabia. One
common internal factor is the students’ self-motivation drives
participation and attitude towards education in both countries.
The internal factors in Saudi Arabia are confidence, laziness,
and school environment, while social status and method of
learning are the internal factors in South Korea (Rangachari,
2007; Dörnyei, 2007).
Physical environment
In comprehensive studies been carried out in numerous
American schools, physical environment is one aspect that
accounts for the difference in performance of the students in
private institutions and government entities. Private school
students tend to perform well because they have access to better
facilities, and public school students are deemed to perform
poorly due to poor maintenance and lack of adequate
government initiatives. Such discrepancy is accounted for by
the lack of motivation in public schools. Lack of proper
classroom environments such as poor lighting and ventilation,
external noise, and cracked walls, as well as other issues act as
a motivation killer. It is a natural occurrence that students in
such academically hazardous environments will have less zeal
to focus on studies. The other aspect of the physical climate is
that students should be able to interact peacefully and share
resources equally. Where resources are inadequate, students
tend to spend much time fighting over them instead of using the

11. little resources available. Therefore, to create motivation, the
classroom environment has to be put into a state where students
are thrilled to exist in and not the other way round where
instead of concentrating on their studies, they struggle to fit in
such learning conditions (Rangachari, 2007; Dörnyei, 2007).
Comment by Minadene Waldrop: Is this general info? How
does it relate to South Korea? Saudi Arabia?
In Saudi Arabia, there are extreme weather conditions that bar
education for students in public schools. While the weather
pattern may change dramatically, students in public schools
have a bit more comfort than students from the public schools.
It is therefore bound to affect performance in the long run.
South Korea depicts the same however weather pattern does not
affect learning. In both countries, public schools have just
enough resources to provide basic education. Private schools
illustrate the opposite with parents contributing more to
influence the type of education their children get. In the long
run in both countries, students in private schools perform better
than those in public schools (Jenkins, 2008).
Intellectual, social, and emotional aspects contribute a great
deal to creating an acceptable classroom environment that aids
in student motivation. The better the classroom environment,
the more focused on academics students tend to be. From an
intellectual point of view, students have to survive in an
authentic environment that confers on them important and
challenging tasks. To create an intellectually productive
environment, teachers are the most important assets. The more
organized and consistent teachers tend to be, the more
streamlined and motivated students will be In an intellectually
disoriented school where, for instance, the math teacher is an
alcohol addict, students will develop less or no interest at all in
the discipline at hand. Consistent feedback is important when
establishing a viable learning environment. When a student gets
constant positive or encouraging feedback from the instructor,
the student tends to get serious with his or her studies (Williams
& Williams, 2011).

12. From a social point of view, creating a motivating environment
means enhancing the relationship between students to a point
where they can work together peacefully. Schools fail
academically and students become unmotivated due to
segregation. To motivate the intellectually poor individuals,
students, as peers, need to work together as a unit. In addition
to the students, instructors also need to be approachable by
students. Feared instructors usually do not guide students well
towards academic excellence (Sarwar, Razzaq, & Saeed, 2014).
In general, the behavioral expectation of each student and
teacher needs to be high in order to uphold a socially habitable
classroom environment.
From an emotional point of view, the learning environment
does not need to be too competitive. Competition can be healthy
for promoting the academic environment, but too much of can
be threatening to students do not believe they have a chance to
be successful (Ormord, 2012).
Student Number in Classrooms
A smaller teacher-student ratio implies more direct contact
between students and instructors and the greater possibility of
better teacher-student relationships. If an instructor has more
time to stay physically close and be aware of the students then
students may be more comfortable and there are less classroom
management problems. A smaller teacher-student ratio has been
shown to be a very important factor for supporting student
motivation (Tomlinson et al., 2003). According to OECD
reports the average classroom size is 21. Saudi Arabia has an
average of 21 students per classroom in primary and secondary
schools. South Korea is a more densely populated country than
Saudi Arabia therefore the number of students in each
classroom is expected to be very different and the statistics
reveal an average of 35 students per classroom (OECD, 2011).
Efficiency of Learning Facilities
The physical classroom environment in both of the countries is
high compared to other countries in the region. In the current
technologically advanced world, most aspects of life including

13. education are conducted differently. Trivedi et al. (2014), state
that the two countries have well established information
technology facilities that promote a productive environment.
Aside from the aspect of information technology, facilities are
well developed and analytical studies do indicate that it is one
of the root causes for student motivation. When students step in
high tech laboratories with enough equipment at their disposal,
they are naturally compelled to work hard and this is an as
works well for South Korea and Saudi Arabia in terms of
student motivation (OECD, 2011). Early student exposure
technology elevates the motivational level (OECD, 2011).
Comment by Minadene Waldrop: How do you know this?
Where is your reference?