Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the facilitating factors of intrinsic English classroom motivation and students' classroom engagement. On the basis of Self-determination theory and the hierarchical model of motivation, this study examined the causal relationship between psychological needs and classroom engagement mediated by classroom motivation. Motivation is defined in terms of a Japanese EFL classroom context and intrinsic aspect, named intrinsic English classroom motivation, to differentiate trait motivation that most preceding studies on motivation have addressed. The participants were 69 high school students. Correlational and causal analyses revealed that the need for competence was (1) the strongest facilitating effect on intrinsic English Classroom motivation, and (2) the strongest indirect effect on classroom engagement. Moreover, the result showed that (3) the need for relatedness was an important facilitating factor of both intrinsic English Classroom motivation and classroom engagement. These results have implications for theories of motivation and also suggest one pathway by which teachers can facilitate students' classroom motivation and engagement in school.
