Views: 7,280
Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 16. Number 3, September 2025 Pp.345-358
Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia
Institute of Ethnic Studies (KITA), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia
Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Malaysia
This study investigates the relationship between self-regulated writing strategies (SRWS) and academic writing performance among Chinese undergraduate students learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Its primary purpose is to determine which dimensions of SRWS—cognitive, metacognitive, motivational and social—most strongly predict writing performance, thereby informing pedagogy in an exam-oriented context where learner autonomy remains under-developed. Employing a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, 300 students completed the Writing Strategies for Self-Regulated Learning Questionnaire (WSSRLQ) and a standardised academic writing task. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 students. Quantitative analyses, including correlation and regression tests, revealed significant positive associations between SRWS dimensions—particularly goal-setting, monitoring, and motivational self-talk—and writing performance. Students with high SRWS demonstrated notably superior writing outcomes (Cohen’s d = 2.04). Qualitative insights from interviews and text analysis indicated that high-performing students employed deliberate planning and strategic revision, while low-performing peers exhibited reactive behaviours and limited emotional regulation. Demographic variables such as academic level, prior training, and frequency of Automatic Writing Evaluation (AWE) tool use significantly influenced SRWS engagement. The findings highlight the predictive value of SRWS and underscore the need to incorporate strategy-based instruction and scaffolded feedback into EFL writing curricula. Pedagogical implications suggest fostering metacognitive and affective regulation to support autonomous and proficient academic writers. Future work should embed explicit, sustained SRWS instruction—augmented by digital feedback and collaborative tasks—into EFL curricula to cultivate autonomous, strategic writers.
Wang, X., Hussin, S. & Aziz, A. A. (2025). Investigating the Relationship Between Self-Regulated Writing Strategies and Academic Writing Performance. Arab World English Journal, 16(3): 345-358.
Abdelaty, Y., Alghamdi, E., & Alamer, A. (2025). The effects of self-regulation on L2 writing achievement: Examining the mediating roles of feedback quality and task complexity. System, 132, 103715. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2025.103715
Alanazi, M. H. (2024). Predictive effects of self-regulated writing strategies on writing performance among Saudi EFL learners. Journal of Educational and Psychological Studies, 14(4), 668–678. https://doi.org/10.53543/jeps.vol14iss4pp668-678
Al-Ghamdi, W. S., & Alsehibany, R. A. (2021). A study on classroom discourse in enhancing metacognition to develop writing skill in Saudi EFL students. Arab World English Journal, 12(3), 450–463. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol12no3.31
Alrabai, F. (2014). Motivational practices in English as a foreign language classes in Saudi Arabia: Teachers’ beliefs and learners’ perceptions. Arab World English Journal, 5(1), 180–196. https://awej.org/images/AllIssues/Volume5/Volume5Number1March2014/15.pdf
Anggraeni, C. W., Mujiyanto, J., Rustipa, K., et al. (2025). Effects of utilizing self-regulated learning-based instruction on EFL students’ academic writing skills: a mixed-method investigation. Asian Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education, 10, 15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-024-00317-6
Bai, B., & Wang, J. (2023). Conceptualising self-regulated reading-to-write models for L2 academic contexts. Language Teaching Research, 27(5), 1193-1216. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168820971740
Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Hoboken: Prentice Hall.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Chen, Q., Thwaite, A., & Moon, B. (2023). Chinese-speaking undergraduates in Australia: A lexical approach to teaching academic writing. The Journal of Asia TEFL, 20(2), 375–396. https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2023.20.2.9.375
Creswell, J. W., & Clark, V. L. P. (2017). Designing and conducting mixed methods research. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Dong, L., Ji, T., & Zhang, J. (2023). Motivational understanding of MOOC learning: The impacts of technology fit and subjective norms. Behavioral Sciences, 13(2), 98. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13020098
Dörnyei, Z., & Ryan, S. (2015). The psychology of the language learner revisited. London: Routledge.
Granado-Peinado, M., Mateos, M., & Martín, E. (2019). Teaching to write collaborative argumentative syntheses in higher education. Reading and Writing, 32, 2037–2058. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-019-09939-6
Huang, H.-W., Teng, D. C.-E., & Wu, R. (2023). Teaching chatbot prompt strategies in EFL essay writing instruction. In 2023 5th International Workshop on Artificial Intelligence and Education (WAIE) (pp. 12–17). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/WAIE60568.2023.00010
O’Dowd, R., Sauro, S., & Spector-Cohen, E. (2020). The role of pedagogical mentoring in virtual exchange. TESOL Quarterly, 54, 146–172. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.543
Pintrich, P. R. (2004). A conceptual framework for assessing motivation and self-regulated learning in college students. Educational Psychology Review, 16(4), 385–407. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-004-0006-x
Seker, M., & Karagul, B. I. (2022). Assisting higher education learners online to acquire self-regulated writing strategies during Covid-19. Journal of Learning and Teaching in Digital Age, 7(1), 64–75. https://doi.org/10.53850/joltida.989005
Shen, B., & Bai, B. (2024). Enhancing Chinese university students’ writing performance and self-regulated learning (SRL) writing strategy use through a strategy-based intervention. System, 122, Article 103249. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2024.103249
Stell, A., & Iwashita, N. (2024). Enhancing collaboration: Exploring regulated learning strategies in the co-regulatory processes of collaborative L2 writing. System, 125, 103410. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2024.103410
Teo, P. (2017). Bridging policy and practice: A study of EFL teacher talk in China. TESL-EJ, 21(3). https://tesl-ej.org/wordpress/issues/volume21/ej83/ej83a1/
Teng, L. S. (2022). Explicit strategy-based instruction in L2 writing contexts: A perspective of self-regulated learning and formative assessment. Assessing Writing, 53, 100645. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2022.100645
Teng, L. S., & Zhang, L. J. (2016). A questionnaire-based validation of multidimensional models of self-regulated learning strategies. Modern Language Journal, 100(3), 674–701. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12339
Teng, L. S., & Zhang, L. J. (2020). Empowering learners in the second/foreign language classroom: Can self-regulated learning strategies-based writing instruction make a difference? Journal of Second Language Writing, 48, 100701. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2019.100701
Teng, L. S., Wang, C., & Zhang, L. J. (2022). Assessing self-regulatory writing strategies and their predictive effects on young EFL learners’ writing performance. Assessing Writing, 51, 100620. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2021.100573
Teng, M. F., & Huang, J. (2021). The effects of incorporating metacognitive strategies instruction into collaborative writing on writing complexity, accuracy, and fluency. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 43(4), 1071–1090. https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2021.1982675
Umamah, A. & Cahyono, B. Y. (2020). Indonesian university students’ self-regulated writing (SRW) strategies in writing expository essays. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 10(1), 25–35. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v10i1.24958
Vasu, K. A., Fung, Y. M., Nimehchisalem, V., & Md Rashid, S. (2020). Self-regulated learning development in undergraduate ESL writing classrooms: Teacher feedback versus self-assessment. RELC Journal, 53(3), 491–508. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688220957782
Wang, Z. (2023). Applying self and peer assessment in Chinese tertiary education English classroom. International Journal of Social Science and Education Research, 6(7), 127–133. https://doi.org/10.6918/IJOSSER.202307_6(7).0018
Zhang, J., & Zhang, L. (2025). Exploring the profiles of foreign language learners’ writing self-regulation: Focusing on individual differences. Reading and Writing, 38, 1533–1559. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-024-10568-x
Zimmerman, B. J. (2000). Attaining self-regulation: A social cognitive perspective. In M. Boekaerts, P. R. Pintrich, & M. Zeidner (Eds.), Handbook of self-regulation (pp. 13–39). Cambridge: Academic Press.
Zimmerman, B. J., & Schunk, D. H. (Eds.). (2011). Handbook of self-regulation of learning and performance (2nd ed.). London: Routledge.
Xiaolan Wang is currently pursuing her PhD in TESL at the Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). She graduated with a Master’s degree from the University of York. Her research interests are in second language acquisition and cross-cultural communication. https://orcid.org/0009-0002-9878-6453
Professor Dr Supyan Hussin is a Principal Fellow at the Institute of Ethnic Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). His main research interests include language education, teacher training, educational technology, and Malay civilisation studies
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0544-0649
Dr Azlina Abdul Aziz is a senior lecturer in the TESL programme at the Centre for Teaching and Learning Innovations, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). Her main research interests include the teaching of literature in TESL, teacher education, and the use of narrative and literary texts to explore social and cultural issues. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7800-3688