University Students' Writing Feedback Literacy in the AI Era: The Interplay of Generative AI Acceptance, Writing Anxiety and Writing Self‐Efficacy in Chinese EMI Educational Contexts
Abstract
ABSTRACT As artificial intelligence (AI) tools reshape second language (L2) writing, how technological and psychological factors jointly shape English‐medium instruction (EMI) students' writing feedback literacy remains underexplored. Using an online questionnaire with 500 Chinese EMI university students, this study employed structural equation modelling (SEM) to examine how generative AI acceptance, writing anxiety and writing self‐efficacy shape students' writing feedback literacy. The results showed that (1) generative AI acceptance positively and significantly predicts students' writing feedback literacy and writing self‐efficacy, and negatively predicts writing anxiety; (2) writing self‐efficacy positively mediated the relationship between generative AI acceptance and writing feedback literacy, while writing anxiety mediated the relationship by reducing negative emotions; and (3) generative AI acceptance improves writing feedback literacy by raising students' self‐efficacy and lowering their writing anxiety. This study broadens understanding of writing feedback literacy in the AI era by clarifying the psychological mechanism linking generative AI acceptance to writing feedback literacy in EMI writing, and offers pedagogical implications for integrating AI‐based support to improve EMI students' emotions and feedback engagement.
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Self-regulation in GenAI-supported learning is embedded in a broader psychological system: learners regulate more effectively when they trust the tool appropriately, feel capable of using it, and are less emotionally overwhelmed by the task.
“These studies suggest that self-regulation in GenAI-supported learning is embedded in a broader psychological system: learners regulate more effectively when they trust the tool appropriately, feel capable of using it, and are less emotionally overwhelmed by the task.”
From Generative AI, Cognitive Offloading, and Learner Agency in Higher Education: A Scoping Review (2026) · cites this paper as C. Zhou & Wang, 2026
Reflection journals, dialogic feedback routines, and tasks that require explanation of revision choices are especially promising because they turn AI use into an object of reflection rather than a hidden background process.
“Reflection journals, dialogic feedback routines, and tasks that require explanation of revision choices are especially promising because they turn AI use into an object of reflection rather than a hidden background process (Zhan & Yan, 2025; D. Zhang et al., 2025; C. Zhou & Wang, 2026).”
From Generative AI, Cognitive Offloading, and Learner Agency in Higher Education: A Scoping Review (2026) · cites this paper as C. Zhou & Wang, 2026
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- Authors
- Zhou, C., & Wang, Y.
- Affiliations
- Macao Polytechnic University (MO)
- North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power (CN)
- Corresponding author
- Wang, Yongliang
- Venue
- European Journal of Education
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2026-01-22
- Volume
- 61
- Issue
- 1
- ISSN
- 0141-8211 (ISSN-L)
- 1465-3435
- OpenAlex
- W7125493106
- Cited by
- 29
- References
- 80
- Citations by year
- 2026: 29
- FWCI
- 582.98
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- European Journal of Education (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning
- Social Sciences › Education › Student Assessment and Feedback
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Information Systems › English Language Learning and Teaching
- Keywords
- writing anxiety, writing self-efficacy, English-medium instruction, second language writing, Chinese university students, mediating effect
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