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Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 17. Number 2, June 2026 pp. 246-260
Faculty of Education, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Puncak Alam, Malaysia
Foreign Language Department, Ningxia Medical University,
Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China
Faculty of Education, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Puncak Alam, Malaysia
Faculty of Education, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Puncak Alam, Malaysia
This study explored the effects of genre-based pedagogy on narrative writing performance and self-regulated learning among Chinese university students. Eighty-seven intermediate-level university students from two intact classes participated in this quasi-experimental pretest-posttest study. During the three-week intervention, the experimental group received genre-based instruction, while the control group received conventional writing instruction. The study assessed writing performance using an analytical rubric and measured students’ self-regulated learning using a questionnaire. Compared with the control group, the experimental group demonstrated significantly greater gains in overall writing performance, particularly in content, vocabulary, organisation, and language use. The gains in mechanics were comparatively smaller. In addition, the experimental group showed significant gains in the metacognitive, cognitive, social, and affective dimensions of self-regulated learning strategies. These findings suggest that genre-based pedagogy enhances discourse-level writing competence and promotes self-regulated learning. The evidence provides pedagogical awareness of how genre-based instruction can simultaneously support students’ writing development and their regulatory engagement. Subsequent research should employ longitudinal designs and combine self-report measures with process data to better capture self-regulated learning during writing.
Chen, A., Narayanan, G. & Bazari, N. A. (2026). The Effects of Genre-Based Pedagogy on Narrative Writing and Self-Regulated Learning among Chinese University EFL Students. Arab World English Journal, 17(2):246-260
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Zirui CHEN is an associate professor at the Foreign Language Department, Ningxia Medical University and a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Education, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia. Her research interests include English as a Foreign Language (EFL), English for Specific Purposes (ESP), and English language instruction in higher education.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-4710-9067
Dr. Geethanjali Narayanan is an associate professor at the Faculty of Education, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. Her research interests are English for Specific Purpose (ESP) and teaching English as a foreign language.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4118-5622
Datin Dr. Nazeera Ahmed Bazari is a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Education, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. Her research interests include Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL), English Instruction and Teacher education.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-6075-527X