Religiosity as a psychological force in developing motivation and academic discipline among Muslim students

Abstract

Background: The decline in enthusiasm and discipline in learning poses significant challenges for students in the midst of modern era disruptions. While previous literature has often addressed academic aspects separately, religiosity is seen as having an important role as an internal psychological force. This study aims to analyze the influence of religiosity on the academic motivation and discipline of Muslim students at the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education (FKIP) Sriwijaya University. Methods: This study uses a quantitative method with a correlational approach. Data were collected using a Likert scale questionnaire from 108 students of the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Sriwijaya University, which were selected using proportionate stratified random sampling. Data analysis techniques include Spearman correlation tests and simple linear regression to measure the magnitude of influence between variables. Findings: The results of the study showed that religiosity had a positive and significant influence on academic motivation with a contribution of 33.0%, and a positive effect on academic discipline with a contribution of 18.8%. In addition, a strong relationship was found between motivation and academic discipline with a coefficient value of 0.780. These findings confirm the theory that spiritual values serve as internal resources that reinforce students' self-regulation. Conclusion: It is concluded that religiosity functions effectively as a psychological foundation that strengthens students' mental resilience, transforming religious values into productive and responsible academic behaviors. Novelty/Originality of this article: The novelty of this research lies in the integration of the concept of psychological capital in the context of teacher education, which fills a gap in previous literature that tends to examine the variables of religiosity and academic performance in part without highlighting psychological power holistically.