Fostering a sustainable future through intrinsic motivation in pre-university students in Kuantan, Pahang: a journey of inner drive towards environmental responsibility

This study embarks on an exploration into the vital connection between the inherent drive to learn, known as intrinsic motivation (IM), and the active involvement in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) among pre-university students nestled in Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia. Recognizing that a sustainable future hinge on an engaged and motivated citizenry, we delve into how this inner spark of curiosity and enjoyment can ignite a passion for environmental and social responsibility. Through a quantitative lens, surveying 127 students and employing the robust analytical framework of Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), our findings illuminate a statistically significant and positive relationship: when students are driven by an internal desire to learn, their engagement with ESD flourishes (β = 0.487, p < 0.001), exhibiting a noteworthy medium to large effect (f² = 0.311). This study investigates whether intrinsic motivation is positively related to engagement in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) among pre-university students in Kuantan, Pahang, guided by the research question, "Is there a significant positive relationship between intrinsic motivation and ESD engagement?" and the hypothesis that intrinsic motivation significantly influences students’ participation in ESD. This suggests that nurturing the joy of learning can be a powerful catalyst in fostering a generation deeply invested in sustainable development. Ultimately, this research underscores the crucial role of intrinsic motivation in shaping environmentally conscious future leaders within the Malaysian pre-university educational landscape, offering valuable insights for educators and policymakers alike.