From school to state university: The role of teachers in building high school students' motivation for further education
Abstract
Higher education plays an important role in improving human resource quality and social mobility. However, participation in higher education among Indonesian high school graduates remains relatively low, particularly in peripheral regions such as South Bangka Regency. This study aimed to explore the role of teachers in fostering Grade XII students’ motivation to pursue public universities. A descriptive qualitative approach was employed involving 14 participants, including principals, homeroom teachers, guidance counselors, and students from senior high schools in South Bangka Regency. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis based on the Miles and Huberman model. The findings revealed that students’ motivation to continue to public universities was generally fragile and unstable. Although many students aspired to pursue higher education, their decisions were often constrained by financial limitations, parental influence, limited access to information, and socio-cultural norms that prioritized immediate employment. Teachers, counselors, principals, and school programs played significant roles in strengthening motivation through encouragement, guidance, and exposure to higher education opportunities. In this context, schools functioned as strategic institutions that helped bridge gaps in information and educational access. The study concludes that increasing higher education participation requires more than financial assistance alone. Strengthening structured career guidance, teacher capacity, parental involvement, digital information access, and collaboration between schools and universities is essential to support students’ transition to higher education, particularly in underserved and peripheral regions.
References
Andina, E. (2025). More inclusive access and participation in higher education. COMMISSION X: Education, Sports, Science, and Technology, 17(4), 1–5. 10.21831/progcouns.v2i1.39906.
ANTARA Babel. (2024, June 19). Wajah pendidikan Bangka Belitung sudahkah menggambarkan Indonesia sentris. ANTARA News Kepulauan Bangka Belitung. https://babel.antaranews.com/berita/414651/wajah-pendidikan-bangka-belitung-sudahkah-menggambarkan-indonesia-sentris
ANTARA Babel. (2024, May 2). Pentingkah pendidikan tinggi bagi masyarakat Bangka Belitung. ANTARA News Kepulauan Bangka Belitung. https://babel.antaranews.com/berita/414705/pentingkah-pendidikan-tinggi-bagi-masyarakat-bangka-belitung
Bersan, O. S., et al. (2024). Training teachers for the career guidance of high school students. Education Sciences, 14(3), 289. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14030289
Bettinger, E. P., Long, B. T., Oreopoulos, P., & Sanbonmatsu, L. (2012). The role of application assistance and information in college decisions. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 127(3), 1205–1242. https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjs017
Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. G. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). Greenwood Press.
Breen, R., & Goldthorpe, J. H. (1997). Explaining educational differentials: Towards a formal rational action theory. Rationality and Society, 9(3), 275–305. https://doi.org/10.1177/104346397009003002
Bryan, J., Moore-Thomas, C., Day-Vines, N. L., & Holcomb-McCoy, C. (2011). School counselors as social capital: The effects of school counselor ratios on college application rates. Journal of Counseling & Development, 89(2), 190–199. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6678.2011.tb00077.x
Byun, S., Meece, J. L., & Irvin, M. J. (2012). Rural-nonrural disparities in postsecondary educational attainment. American Educational Research Journal, 49(3), 412–437. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831211416344
Cabrera, A. F., & La Nasa, S. M. (2000). Understanding the college-choice process. New Directions for Institutional Research, 2000(107), 5–22. https://doi.org/10.1002/ir.10701
Coleman, J. S. (1988). Social capital in the creation of human capital. American Journal of Sociology, 94, S95–S120. https://doi.org/10.1086/228943
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). Sage.
Dissen, A., & Tomé, D.F. (2024). Finances and Future Health: Understanding Barriers to First-Generation Student Utilization of Federal Work-Study. Metropolitan Universities, 35(2), 39-63. https://doi.org/10.18060/27706 (https://journals.indianapolis.iu.edu/index.php/muj/article/view/27706/25673)
Dodd, V., Hanson, J., & Hooley, T. (2022). Increasing students’ career readiness through career guidance: measuring the impact with a validated measure. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 50(2), 260–272. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2021.1937515
Dynarski, S., Nurshatayeva, A., Page, L. C., & Scott-Clayton, J. (2023). Addressing non-financial barriers to college access and success: Evidence and directions for future research (Working Paper No. 30054). National Bureau of Economic Research. https://www.nber.org/papers/w30054
Eccles, J. S., & Wigfield, A. (2020). From expectancy-value theory to situated expectancy-value theory. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 61, 101859. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101859
Engberg, M. E., & Wolniak, G. C. (2010). Examining the effects of high school contexts on postsecondary enrollment. Research in Higher Education, 51(2), 132–153. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-009-9150-y
Eric P. Bettinger, Bridget Terry Long, Philip Oreopoulos, Lisa Sanbonmatsu. (2012). The role of application assistance and information in college decisions: results from the h&r block fafsa experiment, The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Volume 127, Issue 3, August 2012, Pages 1205–1242, https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjs017
Grant, C. A. (2022). Rural students and higher education aspirations: Barriers, belonging, and pathways to university participation. Journal of Rural Studies, 91, 45–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2022.02.011
Gysbers, N. C., & Henderson, P. (2016). Developing and managing your school guidance and counseling program (5th ed.). Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.
Hattie, J. (2015). The applicability of visible learning to higher education. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology, 1(1), 79–91. https://doi.org/10.1037/stl0000021
Hossler, D., & Gallagher, K. S. (1987). Studying student college choice: A three-phase model and the implications for policymakers. College and University, 62(3), 207–221.
http://journal.staihubbulwathan.id/index.php/alishlah/article/view/6803
Kallio, H., Pietilä, A. M., Johnson, M., & Kangasniemi, M. (2016). Developing a framework for a qualitative semi?structured interview guide. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 72(12), 2954–2965. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.13031
Kementerian Pendidikan, Kebudayaan, Riset, dan Teknologi. (2023). Indonesia educational statistics in brief 2022/2023. Pusat Data dan Teknologi Informasi.
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (2016). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage. https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/naturalistic-inquiry/book842
Meriyanti, & Jasmina, T. (2022). Access of information, communication, and technology (ICT) and learning performance of junior high school students in Indonesia: Analysis at the district level. Jurnal Perencanaan Pembangunan: The Indonesian Journal of Development Planning, 6(3), 304–326. https://doi.org/10.36574/jpp.v6i3.267
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (3rd ed.). Sage. https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/qualitative-data-analysis/book246128
Mulyaningsih, T., Miranti, R., Dong, S. et al. (2025). Why are low-income eligible students reluctant to apply for financial aid? An empirical study from Central Java, Indonesia. Asia Pacific Educ. Rev. 26, 247–261. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-024-09973-2
Nadya, Aisha & Farozin, Muh. (2021). Career guidance conceptualization to improve career adaptability for generation z. ProGCouns: Journal of Professionals in Guidance and Counseling. 2.
OECD. (2019). Education at a glance 2019: OECD indicators. Paris: OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/f8d7880d-en
Palinkas, L. A., Horwitz, S. M., Green, C. A., Wisdom, J. P., Duan, N., & Hoagwood, K. (2015). Purposeful sampling for qualitative data collection. Administration and Policy in Mental Health, 42(5), 533–544. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-013-0528-y
Perna, L. W. (2006). Studying college access and choice: A proposed conceptual model. In J. C. Smart (Ed.), Higher education: Handbook of theory and research (Vol. 21, pp. 99–157). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4512-3_3
Perna, L. W., & Titus, M. A. (2016). The relationship between parental involvement as social capital and college enrollment: An examination of racial/ethnic group differences. The Journal of Higher Education, 76(5), 485–518. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2005.11772296
Puslapdik Kemdikbud. (n.d.). Giat: Ayo lanjut kuliah. Pusat Layanan Pembiayaan Pendidikan, Kementerian Pendidikan, Kebudayaan, Riset, dan Teknologi. https://puslapdik.kemendikdasmen.go.id/giat-ayo-lanjut-kuliah/
Putra, I. P. (2024, February 23). APK pendidikan tinggi miris, hampir 70% siswa SMA tak lanjut kuliah. Medcom.id.
Radiansyah, R., et al. (2025). Student awareness, utilization, and satisfaction with school guidance and counseling services in Indonesian high schools. Jurnal Ilmiah Peuradeun. https://journal.scadindependent.org/index.php/jipeuradeun/article/view/2080
Ravulo, J. (2020). Social value and its impact through widening participation: A review of four programs working with primary, secondary & higher education students. Cogent Social Sciences, 6(1), 1722307. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2020.1722307
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2020). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations: Classic definitions and new directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 61, 101860. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101860
Santrock, J. W. (2019). Adolescence (17th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Education.
Sari, D. P., & Widodo, S. (2018). Faktor-faktor yang memengaruhi motivasi siswa melanjutkan pendidikan ke perguruan tinggi. Jurnal Pendidikan, 19(1), 45–54.
Savickas, M. L. (2021). Career construction theory and counseling model. In S. D. Brown & R.W. Lent (Eds), Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work (3rd. ed., pp. 165-199). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Schoon, I., & Bynner, J. (2019). Young people and the Great Recession: Variations in the school-to-work transition in Europe and the United States. Longitudinal and Life Course Studies, 10(2), 153–173. https://doi.org/10.1332/175795919X15468755933396
Shebani, Z., et al. (2025). The effect of parental involvement on academic passion. Journal of Youth Studies. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2025.2467109
Tantu, D. S., & Astuti, B. (2025). Development of career information guidance media to improve students’ career maturity. Jurnal Inovasi Pembelajaran, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.22219/jinop.v11i2.36392
Tim Penyusun. (2021). Statistik pendidikan tinggi 2021 (PDF). Kementerian Pendidikan, Kebudayaan, Riset, dan Teknologi Republik Indonesia. https://repositori.kemendikdasmen.go.id/25511/1/9772626835008.pdf
Trahar, S., Timmis, S., Lucas, L., & Naidoo, K. (2020). Rurality and access to higher education. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 50(7), 929–942. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2020.1810895
Unverferth, A. R., Talbert-Johnson, C., & Bogard, T. (2012). Perceived barriers for first-generation students: Reforms to level the terrain. International Journal of Educational Reform, 21(4), 238–252. https://doi.org/10.1177/105678791202100402
Urhahne, D., Wijnia, L. (2023). Theories of Motivation in Education: an Integrative Framework. Educ Psychol Rev 35, 45. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023-09767-9
Wang, H., Sun, Y., Zhao, X., Wang, W., & Xue, J. (2024). Enhancing academic engagement through students’ perceptions of teacher expectations: The mediating role of intentional self-regulation in middle school. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1456334. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1456334
Wang, M. T., & Eccles, J. S. (2013). School context, achievement motivation, and academic engagement: A longitudinal study of school engagement using a multidimensional perspective. Learning and Instruction, 28, 12–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2013.04.002
Wang, S. X., et al. (2025). Testing a parent support intervention to improve success of college students. Frontiers in Education, 10, 1584908. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1584908
Wanti, M. W., et al. (2022). Determining factors of access and equity in higher education. SAGE Open, 12. https://doi.org/10.1177/27526461221092429
Widiastuti, I. (2025). Assessing the impact of education policies in Indonesia: Challenges, achievement, and future direction. Al-Ishlah: Jurnal Pendidikan, 17(2), 1955–1964.
Copyright (c) 2026 Hanifa Intan Desiga, Indah Puspita, Poniman Poniman
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
1) Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
2) Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
3) Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
