How Religious Ethics-Based Problem-Based Learning Shapes Learning Motivation and Academic Discipline: The Mediating Role of Self-Regulation

Abstract

Higher education increasingly requires learning models that strengthen not only cognitive competence but also students’ ethical responsibility, self-management, motivation, and academic discipline. This study examined the structural relationships among religious ethics-based Problem-Based Learning, self-regulation, learning motivation, and academic discipline, with self-regulation positioned as a mediating variable. A quantitative explanatory design with a time-lagged survey was employed involving 151 undergraduate students from a Faculty of Education during the 2025 odd semester. Data were collected using validated Likert-scale instruments and analyzed through covariance-based Structural Equation Modeling. The measurement model demonstrated adequate reliability and convergent validity, with standardized factor loadings ranging from 0.63 to 0.86, composite reliability values above 0.70, and average variance extracted values above 0.50. The structural model showed satisfactory fit, χ²(248) = 407.18, CFI = 0.952, TLI = 0.945, RMSEA = 0.065, and SRMR = 0.063. Religious ethics-based Problem-Based Learning significantly predicted self-regulation (β = 0.62, p < 0.001), learning motivation (β = 0.20, p = 0.026), and academic discipline (β = 0.17, p = 0.033). Self-regulation significantly predicted learning motivation (β = 0.56, p < 0.001) and academic discipline (β = 0.63, p < 0.001), while partially mediating both relationships. The model explained 38% of the variance in self-regulation, 51% in learning motivation, and 56% in academic discipline. These findings indicate that religious ethics-based Problem-Based Learning contributes to academic outcomes primarily by strengthening students’ capacity to regulate their learning responsibly.