Controlled Motivation and Academic Engagement among College Students in a Philippine Higher Education Institution

This study examined the relationship between controlled motivation and academic engagement among college students in a Philippine higher education institution. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory, the study focused on controlled motivation as reflected in external regulation and introjected regulation, and academic engagement as reflected in behavioral, emotional, and cognitive involvement in learning. A quantitative descriptive-correlational design was employed. Data were gathered from 141 college students aged 18 to 24 at First City Providential College using stratified random sampling. The Controlled Motivation Scale and the Academic Engagement Inventory were used as research instruments. Descriptive statistics and Pearson product-moment correlation were applied to analyze the data. Results showed that the respondents had a moderate level of controlled motivation (M = 24.86, SD = 4.57) and a moderate-to-high level of academic engagement (M = 38.12, SD = 6.33). Correlation analysis indicated a significant moderate positive relationship between controlled motivation and academic engagement (r = 0.50, p < .05). The findings suggest that external and internal pressures may be associated with students’ academic involvement, although such engagement may not necessarily reflect autonomous or personally valued motivation. The study highlights the need for learning environments that sustain engagement while gradually fostering autonomy, self-direction, and healthier forms of academic motivation.