English proficiency has become an essential requirement for university graduates to fulfill their academic needs, such as completing coursework and meeting graduation requirements, which
later supports their entry into the future career market. Despite years of university requirement, English proficiency among Indonesian tertiary learners is still persistently low, creating a substantial gap between university expectations and students' actual language competence.
While motivation is widely recognized as a key determinant in foreign language acquisition, empirical research exploring how learning motivation and learning experiences jointly shape non-English majors' self-perceived competence stays limited. To address this gap, this study
employed an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, resulting in two complementary datasets. First, a quantitative survey (n = 82) analyzed via Spearman’s rank-order correlation revealed a significant correlation between motivation and self-reported English proficiency (rs
= .314, p = .004), confirming that higher motivation systematically aligns with language self-evaluations. Second, qualitative data (n = 8) analyzed deductively through NVivo 15 provided explanatory context, revealing that while institutional exit examination requirements (Ought-to
L2 Self) drive initial learning effort, sustained engagement stems from long-term professional aspirations (Ideal L2 Self). Despite high motivation and active informal digital exposure, participants showed a clear skill asymmetry: receptive skills (reading and listening) were rated significantly higher than productive skills, with oral speaking severely constrained by communication apprehension and peer stigma. These findings revealed the need for university instruction to shift toward communicative practices that foster supportive language learning environments.

Keywords: Self-Reported English Proficiency, L2 Motivation, L2 Learning Experiences