THE IMPACT OF MOTIVATIONAL INTERVENTION ON SELF-CONFIDENCE AND ATTITUDES OF UNDERPERFORMING STUDENTS

This study evaluates the impact of the Ku Petik Bintang program on underperforming students in the Department of Information and Communication Technology (JTMK) at Politeknik Mersing. Quantitative research incorporated a survey questionnaire concerning self-confidence, learning attitudes, and coping with failure before and during school term breaks. Students who have low self-esteem and a negative attitude towards learning cultivate low motivation that in turn makes them unable to successfully complete the studies. This is because the program for intervention in Ku Petik Bintang intends to make structured motivational programs increase intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, self-efficacy, and resilience among its students. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Locke & Latham's Goal-Setting theory were used so that this program can have sessions in goal setting, mentoring, and personal feedback, which will dramatically improve the students' learning experience. The data show that students are more self-confident after the intervention and develop more active positions in learning activities. Furthermore, the results of the paired sample t-tests revealed significant differences concerning self-efficacy and academic motivation. The findings underpin the major contribution of structured mentorship combined with goal-setting strategies in enhancing growth mindset and resilience among participants. It thus adds to the literature on motivational interventions by providing empirical evidence for their effectiveness in a polytechnic education setting. Future suggestions present practical modularity, coordinate with mentorship component, and conduct longitudinal studies to increase the program efficacy.