Can GenAI help undergraduate students become independent writers? An intervention study on its effects on writing motivation, feedback literacy, and self-regulated learning strategies

This mixed-methods study adopts a longitudinal perspective to investigate whether and how GenAI-supported feedback practice influences students’ writing motivation, feedback literacy, and self-regulated learning (SRL) strategy use, three aspects essential for developing as independent writers. Participants were 61 Chinese undergraduates enrolled in an academic writing program. Quantitative and qualitative findings revealed a differentiated pattern of change across the three domains: writing interest increased, while self-efficacy showed only slight gains; feedback literacy improved in appreciating feedback, managing affect, and taking action, but showed limited improvement in acknowledging feedback sources and making judgments; and SRL strategy use improved in text-generating and revising, with modest gains in planning but a slight decline in self-monitoring. Together, these findings provide nuanced insights into how GenAI-mediated feedback settings can both support and constrain students’ development as independent writers, highlighting the need for pedagogical scaffolding and ethical guidance.