Abstract
During the Covid-19 pandemic, many students have reported a loss of motivation whilepursuing remote learning. The loss of motivation can be attributed to various factors,among which are a loss of social support, such as from friends and lecturers, incompleting their assessments. This study aimed to help IIUM undergraduate students toincrease their level of motivation through online peer support group sessions using aSport Psychology approach. The Self Determination theory was adopted as a frameworkin guiding the process of the research. This study also employed two other psychologicaltechniques which are a cognitive behavioural approach and a relaxation exercise. A totalof 13 undergraduate university students of IIUM from different faculties were selectedusing a convenience sampling method based on their voluntary participation in the peersupport group. The participants were required to answer two online surveys and committo joining two online peer support group sessions. The first online measure used wasconducted as a need analysis to assess their level of motivation. This measure compriseddemographic information form, an informed consent form, and a few qualitative openendedquestions related to their level of motivation. This yielded useful indicators for thecontent of the peer support group sessions while the second online measure was used asa pre-test and post-test measure using the Situational Motivation Scale (SIMS). The datacollected using the online questionnaire was measured using a paired sample T-test toevaluate the effectiveness of the online peer support group sessions on the level ofsituational motivation among IIUM undergraduate students. The findings of the studyshowed that although there was no statistically significant difference in the pre-test andposttest results of the SIMS scale, interestingly qualitative findings from the participantsyielded positive results which were evident through several meaningful emergent themesthat were obtained from the feedback of the participants post intervention. It is hoped thatthe planned initiative of peer support groups will be expanded to include more studentsin order to help prevent any further progression of loss of motivation and secondary crisisof compromised mental health in those who have suffered from self-isolation, physicaldistancing, and quarantining.
Published Version
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