p–ISSN: 2723 - 6609 e-ISSN: 2745-5254

Vol. 5, No. 6 June 2024 http://jist.publikasiindonesia.id/

Jurnal Indonesia Sosial Teknologi, Vol. 5, No. 6, June 2024 2842

The Nuns' Learning Motivation

Yulius Sodah

Sekolah Tinggi Filsafat Seminari Pineleng (STF-SP), Indonesi

Email: [email protected]

*Correspondence

ABSTRACT

Keywords: Learning

motivation; extrinsic

motivation; intrinsic

motivation; nun;

Obedience.

Nuns are a group of Catholic women who choose not to

marry in order to focus on special service in the Church

according to the rules of the congregation. Some nuns

undergo study missions or become female students on public

campuses. This research specifically wants to examine how

the learning motivation of students who are nuns is.

Researchers want to find out how they increase their

motivation to learn while still carrying out the demands of

the community or institute. This study uses a qualitative

method conducted on 4 nuns who are undergoing studies at

a university in Yogyakarta. The results of the study showed

that they had a unique motivation to learn. The nuns have an

intrinsic motivation to learn, namely the desire and

awareness to complete their studies quickly. Obedience to

the task of community mission is the most powerful extrinsic

motivation that influences the ability and interest in learning

of Catholic nuns. The mission task gives birth to motivation

from within (intrinsic), namely the responsibility to

complete the task entrusted to it by the congregation. The

nuns also face challenges in studying, especially adjusting

themselves due to different ages and the demands of life as

nuns. Further research needs to pay attention to the

frequency and intensity of interviews and needs to involve

other parties who know the nuns who are studying.

Introduction

There are three important things to remember in the world of education: the first is

motivation, the second is motivation and the third is motivation (Uno, 2023). Motivation

plays an important role in improving student learning achievement. When students have

high motivation to learn, they will be able to pass their study period well and carve out

satisfactory achievements. However, not all students have the same motivation to learn.

Various challenges make her motivation decrease. In addition, many factors motivate

students to learn. For example, due to factors of intelligence, age, friends, family,

community, and personal commitment (Sunarsi, 2018).

College students are a group of individuals who have completed their education in

secondary school and studied in higher education institutions (Nasional & INDONESIA,

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Jurnal Indonesia Sosial Teknologi, Vol. 5, No. 6, June 2024 2843

2000). Higher Education is a continuation of secondary education that is organized to

prepare students to become members of society who have academic and/or professional

abilities who can apply, develop, and/or create science, technology, and/or art (Indonesia,

1999). College students are a group of adult individuals who have resolved the adolescent

identity crisis and entered a new stage of life that is more realistic and has a broader

outlook (Paputungan, 2023). The characteristic of students is independence in learning,

which is different from high school students who receive more materials from teachers.

Students are more independent in motivating themselves to achieve the desired learning

achievements. They are more actively involved in the development of teaching materials

received from lecturers on campus.

Some students are not individuals who have just completed their studies at high

school/vocational school. The age of students varies. Some are those who have worked

or had stopped studying for a few years and then decided to go to college. Among those

who are not direct graduates from high school/vocational school, some nuns attend

lectures because of their missionary duties at the institute.

The nuns are a group of Catholic women who specifically choose not to marry for

the sake of the kingdom of God or the service of God and His people. They devote

themselves completely to the God they love more than anything. They are obliged to live

out the three evangelical counsels of purity, obedience, and poverty for the sake of the

Kingdom of God (LG. 43 & 44). Sisters/nuns are obliged to take the vow of obedience to

God, one of which is obedience to the leader of the order (Perfectae Caritatis, 14). In

addition, they must obey the mission of their institute. The study is one of their mission

tasks (Mardiatmadja & SJ, 2020).

The nuns attend lectures as befits ordinary students who have recently graduated

from high school/vocational school with different clothes and of course different ages.

They have two statuses, namely as students and nuns. Age did not discourage their

intention to study together with female students and students who were much younger

than them. With different ages and statuses, they go through college years. Their

motivation to learn is an interesting phenomenon to learn. This study aims to examine the

motivation of nuns as students studying in higher education institutions.

Motivation comes from the Latin verb "move" which means "to move". In

psychology, it is learned about motivation to know the cause or reason that makes a

person do what he does. In summary, motivation is a process in humans or animals that

causes the organism to move towards its own goals or move away from unpleasant

situations. Motivation thus concerns behaviors that are driven/directed by goals (Husin &

Rasuli, 2015). This motivation is distinguished into two, namely intrinsic motivation and

extrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is a desire to do an activity or achieve certain

achievements solely for the pleasure or satisfaction obtained from doing that activity.

While extrinsic motivation is the desire to pursue a goal caused by external rewards or

external influences (Hm, 2016).

Learning is a process in which experiences produce relatively permanent/lasting

changes in an individual's behavior or abilities. From this definition, it is clear that

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Jurnal Indonesia Sosial Teknologi, Vol. 5, No. 6, June 2024 2844

learning cannot be separated from the influence of the environment where the experience

occurs (Anidar, 2017). So it can be briefly concluded that learning motivation means

something/desire that encourages/moves a person to learn to achieve a certain goal.

According to (Aslan, 2018), learning motivation is a driving force or driver who wants

someone to carry out continuous learning activities.

Learning motivation can be seen in indicators such as the existence of desire and

desire to succeed, the existence of encouragement and need in learning, the existence of

hopes and ideals for the future, the existence of appreciation in learning, the existence of

interesting activities in learning, the existence of a conducive environment. These

indicators can be measured through observation techniques, other people's assessments,

and self-reports (projective tests and interviews).

Several studies have been conducted to find out how students' motivation to learn

is improved. One of the studies on learning motivation is conducted by (Reeve, 2013).

This study shows how student agentic involvement functions as a path taken by students

themselves which is proactive, directed, collaborative, and constructive to achieve higher

achievement and increase motivation. Agentic involvement is a student's constructive

contribution to the flow of instruction they receive. The involvement can be in the form

of providing input, expressing their preferences, giving suggestions or contributions,

asking and communicating what they think and need, recommending goals to be

achieved, and other contributions (Reeve & Tseng, 2011). The participants were students

from several universities in South Korea. The researcher conducted 3 studies with

different participants. The first research was conducted at the College of Engineering in

Incheon, South Korea; The second study was conducted on 248 female students at Seoul

University, South Korea; The third study was conducted on 315 students from nine

secondary schools in South Korea. The method used is the survey method.

Based on the research on the Priority of Motivational Value Types in Nuns,

conducted by (Syaputra, Setianti, & Koswara, 2012) through interviews and observations,

it can be concluded that from 10 types of motivational values that are the priority of

motivational value types in nuns, only 3 are namely, the motivational value types of

benevolence, conformity, and tradition. Where the type of motivational value

benevolence the subject carries out his responsibilities by carrying out his duties and

obeying the rules, the subject is honest with himself by knowing the risks of being a nun

and staying away from what is not allowed for a nun. This type of motivational value

conformity encourages the subject to avoid things that are contrary to expectations and

social norms because the subject has good expectations of being a nun. It also has a type

of motivational tradition, namely the subject of living a commitment as an unmarried nun

and living the rules of the monastery that have been scheduled every day. This has become

an inherited norm and inherent in monastic life.

This research focuses on the learning motivation of female students who are nuns.

This research is different from previous studies that focused mostly on students or

students who are not nuns. Other research has focused only on the types of general

motivational values of nuns that are not directly related to the study problem. This

The Nuns' Learning Motivation

Jurnal Indonesia Sosial Teknologi, Vol. 5, No. 6, June 2024 2845

research specifically wants to examine how the learning motivation of students who are

nuns is. Researchers want to find out how they increase their motivation to learn while

still carrying out the demands of the community or institute.

Method

This study uses a qualitative approach method (Klassen, Creswell, Plano Clark,

Smith, & Meissner, 2012) said that qualitative research is a method to explore and

understand meanings that come from social or humanitarian problems. Qualitative

procedures involve efforts such as asking questions, procedures for collecting specific

data from participants, analyzing data inductively ranging from specific themes to general

themes, and interpreting data.

Themes Revealed

This research wants to reveal several main themes, namely:

1. Types of learning motivation of nuns who have the status of students

2. Factors influencing the increase in the study motivation of nuns

3. Factors that inhibit learning motivation

4. The influence of the community or order of origin of the nuns on their motivation to

learn.

5. The level of satisfaction in the learning of the monks.

Research Subject

The researcher involved 4 female students with nun status as respondents in this

study. The average age of respondents ranged from 25 to 40 years. The researcher did not

determine the study program being taken, so the respondents we got came from various

study programs. Subjects were selected not based on random sampling but by non-random

sampling nonprobability sampling or convenience sampling methods (Supratiknya,

2015). Subjects are selected based on convenience and availability or based on

opportunity or opportunity.

Data Collection Techniques

In qualitative research, researchers collect more than one type of data and are at the

research site for a long time to collect information (Supratiknya, 2015). According to

Cresswell (2012), there are four main procedures in data collection, namely qualitative

observation, qualitative interviews, qualitative documents, and qualitative audio-visual

materials.

Data Analysis

The data analysis used in this study is qualitative content analysis (AIK). Hsieh and

Shannon (Faruque, Biswas, Saha, & Chakraborty, 2015) said that AIK is a research

method to subjectively interpret the content of data in the form of text through a

systematic classification process in the form of coding and identification of various

themes or patterns. The purpose of AIK is to reveal the content or theme of a text

according to its context. The recorded audio data is copied into a written transcript with

a structured table and analyzed by a qualitative content analysis method.

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The content analysis procedure used in this study is to make a transcript of the

research results, read and find important sentences in the transcript for each question, find

the main theme, and code and identify the intensity of the theme. Everything is arranged

in the form of a table. After the main themes were identified, an inter-thematic matrix

was prepared that depicted the pattern of relationships between themes. Themes are

categorized and the relationship between categories is sought to be formulated in a higher

theme. After that, the researcher interpreted the overall meaning in the category themes

found.

Results and Discussion

Theme Intensity and Inter-Theme Matrix

Based on the data from the research results on the four subjects, several important

themes were found. The first theme that emerged was obedience to mission duties. All

subjects said that they continued their studies because they were sent by their respective

institutes. Regarding the aspect of learning motivation, all subjects said they had intrinsic

and extrinsic motivation. That motivation is also influenced by internal and external

factors. In the third category, namely satisfaction and hope, all subjects felt grateful for

what was achieved but still wanted to strive to improve what already existed. All subjects

also hope that they can finish on time and apply their knowledge to meet the needs of the

tariqat and be useful to others. The following is a table of intensity and matrix between

themes.

Table 2

Theme Intensity of the Whole Subject

Theme

Information

Obedience

to mission

duties

Likes the choice

of the Erekat

+++

Subjects 1 & and 3 try to

like the major chosen by

the tarekat and can

enjoy it.

Personal choice

+++

Subject 2 is allowed to

choose a major and

university. Subject 3

gets a study assignment

that suits their interests

and is allowed to choose

a university.

Intrinsic

motivation

Sense of

Responsibility

+++

Subjects 1 and 2 feel

responsible so they are

motivated to learn.

Subjects 3 & and 4 are

not.

Intentions in

+++

All subjects have an

intention in themselves

to learn.

Extrinsic

Motivation

Trust of the order

+++

Subjects 1 & and 2 are

motivated by the beliefs

of the institute

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Supporting

factors

Internal

+++

All subjects experience

supporting factors from

within

Time

management

+++

All subjects are aware

of the importance of

time management

Social support

+++

Subjects 1,2,4, felt that

social support increased

learning motivation.

Inhibiting

factors

Course

difficulties

+++

All subjects have

difficulty in certain

courses

Busy

+++

Everyone feels that

busyness or busy

schedules hinder

learning motivation.

Internal

+++

All subjects experience

obstacles from within.

How to

overcome

difficulties

Ask

+++

All subjects overcome

difficulties by asking

lecturers/friends

Creative learning

methods

+++

Subjects 1,2 & and 4 try

creative learning

methods to overcome

difficulties.

Strive

+++

Satisfaction

Satisfied

+++

Syukur

+++

Harapan

Good value

+++

Subjects 1 & 2 hope to

graduate with good

grades

Material

comprehension

+++

Subjects 3 & and 4 hope

to have a good

understanding of the

material so that it can be

applied.

Graduated on

time

+++

Material

application

+++

All subjects hope to be

able to apply the

material to others.

Niat

Intention to

improve

+++

Case Analysis of All Subjects

Based on the results of interviews and data analysis, several points can be concluded

related to the main themes expressed by all subjects.

a. Obedience and mission duties

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The first important theme, that was found in the interview, was obedience to the

mission task. All the interviewees said that they studied at the University because they

carried out mission duties. All subjects said that the mission came from the needs of the

congregation to improve service to the community. To this task, the nuns do not obey

blindly but that obedience always presupposes a dialogue to consider their abilities. Two

subjects admitted that although they were initially not interested in the choice of majors

offered by the Erekat, when they went through it they were finally able to enjoy and be

happy with the choice. The first subject admitted that the choice was by his talents. Two

other subjects when asked to continue their studies, were allowed to choose their preferred

major and university. The reason they continued their studies was because of obedience

to missionary duties.

b. The nuns' motivation to learn

The second theme that emerged from the interview was the learning motivation of

the nuns. Subjects 1 and 2 experienced a decrease in motivation but not severely. Subject

3 experienced an increase while the fourth subject had stable motivation. A decrease in

motivation is followed by a decrease in grades. Increased motivation makes the subject's

value increase. Stable motivation keeps the subject's values intact.

c. Factors influencing motivation:

Their development of motivation is influenced by several factors. Some are

supportive, others are an obstacle to the development of motivation.

1) Supporting factors

The subject's motivation to learn is influenced by internal factors, namely efforts to

motivate themselves and try harder to succeed well. In addition, learning motivation will

increase if the subjects can manage their time well. Some subjects admit that they have a

daily plan or schedule so that they can manage their time well between (academic) and

non-academic activities. On the other hand, not-so-good time management sometimes

makes subjects and this affects their performance and learning achievements.

All subjects said that the subjects had a schedule to organize their activities so that

they could divide their time between community and campus activities. All subjects who

had a schedule said that the subjects were used to a regular schedule because there was

already a clear schedule in the community. Community rules help subjects in their time

management. Two subjects said that they arranged personal schedules. Even though they

have a lot of busyness, their time management skills allow them to still learn and maintain

their achievements even though some have experienced a decline in achievement.

Example statement:

"I am very helped by the scheduling I have. The forum is a forum for us to carry

out activities. I am grateful because I also know how to organize well. It was very helpful

for me to be able to relate to it. I learned to manage my time or discipline myself, even

though I already have a schedule, but I am not fixated on it, it is more flexible."

In addition to internal factors, the subject's motivation to learn is also influenced by

external factors, namely social support from campus friends and communities, family,

and leaders. Based on the themes that appear in the interview results, the presence of other

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people is a theme that is categorized as a supporting factor in learning motivation. Other

people in question are family, community, and campus friends. Subject 4 stated that the

family supported the subject in learning so that they were motivated.

2) Inhibiting factors

Based on the themes gathered from the subject's important statements, several

things are categorized as inhibiting factors.

a) Age (internal)

Subject 4 said that age is sometimes a hindrance to learning motivation. The subject

feels that age affects his learning ability, for example, his memory has decreased so he

has to read the material repeatedly. In addition, age also affects the ability to adapt to

friends on campus because of the age difference.

b) Mood (internal)

Mood affects learning motivation. This was found in the results of interviews with

several subjects. This mood can be a supporting or inhibiting factor. Some subjects say

that learning motivation depends on mood, if the mood is good, then the motivation to

learn is high. On the other hand, if the mood or mood is not good, then the motivation to

learn is also not strong.

c) Course Difficulty Level

The difficulty level of the course affects the motivation to learn. All subjects said

that difficulties in certain courses were a factor that hindered expectations. Subject 1

experienced difficulties in the statistics course so the interest in learning statistics

decreased and affected their achievement and learning motivation decreased.

d) Busy

The busyness or the number of activities also affects the subject's motivation level.

This can be seen from the confession of the subjects. For example, according to Sr. Paulis,

his motivation and achievements decreased in the fourth semester because he participated

in PKM-PM activities which took up a lot of his time. This busyness is related to time

management skills. The subject admitted that he was not able to manage his time well

because of the many activities that affected his motivation to learn. This busyness is

related to fatigue. Fatigue makes subjects lazy to study and often resigned to what will

happen.

e) Relations and conflicts

Subject 1 feels that relationships sometimes hinder learning motivation. The

subjects admitted that when they conflicted with friends in the community, their minds

became overwhelmed, affecting their motivation to learn.

How to overcome difficulties

The subjects also experience difficulties and obstacles in learning. However, all

subjects did not give up but tried to overcome them. When not understanding something

or experiencing difficulties, all subjects asked friends or lecturers. Subjects 1, 2, & and 4

overcome difficulties by creating creative learning methods such as sitting at the front

when sleepy, changing the atmosphere of the room, exercising, and farming. In addition,

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subjects 3 & and 4 said that they tried harder by repeating the material given and forcing

themselves to be more diligent in studying.

Levels of Satisfaction and Expectations

Another theme that emerged in the interview with the subject was the question of

satisfaction and expectations. Subjects 1,2,3 were satisfied with the results they obtained

but they still tried to improve their performance. Subject 4 feels dissatisfied and wants to

improve the existing score. However, all subjects were grateful for what they had

achieved. That gratitude gives the subject a spirit to continue to fight. Example of subject

statement 4: "I am not satisfied yet. I want to try better and better again. But I am grateful

for the current results because no matter how the results are, the knowledge I absorbed is

a good provision. That makes me excited and keep fighting."

Niat

In addition to hope and satisfaction, the subjects also still want to strive to improve

their achievements. Subjects 1,3, & and 4 intend to improve their grades or anything they

feel is still lacking.

Conclusion

In this study on learning motivation, it was found that nuns have a distinctive

motivation in learning. One of the most unique things about them is the influence of

missionary duties and vows of obedience. Study is one of the mission tasks of the order

or community to which they belong. All subjects admitted that the reason they attended

Sanata Dharma University at an older age than other students, was because they were

sent. Regarding the mission duty, the attitude that must be possessed as a member of the

tariqat is obedience. Even though the study assignment is not in the interest of the nuns

or the chosen department is not by their wishes, for the sake of obedience they must accept

and carry out the mission duty. However, they also admit that the obedience they live in

is not carried out blindly but the leadership still considers their abilities, and some of them

are allowed to choose a suitable major. Obedience to the mission task is an antecedent to

the emergence of learning motivation but at the same time affects learning motivation

because it assumes the responsibility of the members to carry it out. The nuns felt

responsible for the mission and that responsibility encouraged them to study hard in order

to graduate on time. To motivate themselves, the nuns set a target that they want to

achieve for example to finish within 8 semesters. This target is also supported by their

desire to immediately apply the knowledge they have gained in their work to the people,

the Erekat and some say for the glory of God. So, their goal for college is not only to get

good grades and finish on time but also for them to gain knowledge that helps their

ministry work for others.

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