Intrinsic Motivation Towards Understanding the Self in Tertiary Education

Intrinsic motivation emphasized engagement that was self-initiated and sustained by the inherent value of the activity itself. This study aimed to determine the percentage of tertiary students who exhibited high levels of intrinsic motivation in the understanding of the self subject. The study utilized a descriptive design, and data were collected from college students of Cebu Technological University – Malabuyoc Extension. A total of 80 participants were selected using simple random sampling through survey questionnaires adapted from Oclaret (2021), based on the Intrinsic Motivation Scale, specifically a 5-point Likert scale. Most participants were in the age bracket of 18–19 years old (61.25%), and there were more female participants (58.75%) than male participants (41.25%). Participants were also equally represented across the four departments and three-year levels. No null hypothesis was formulated or tested. The study focused on describing the level of intrinsic motivation of tertiary students toward understanding the self. The findings showed that students taking the Understanding the Self course demonstrated consistently high intrinsic motivation, sustained interest, and a strong sense of competence. These factors collectively fostered active engagement, achievement-oriented behavior, and a continued commitment to self-awareness and personal development. It was recommended that higher education institutions, educators, curriculum developers, and students work collaboratively to promote autonomy-supportive and reflective learning environments that strengthened intrinsic motivation, self-awareness, and personal development, thereby enhancing student engagement and learning outcomes.