Longitudinal interactions of L2 learners’ motivations and strategic behavior in strategies-based writing
instruction: A self-regulated learning perspective
Strategic behavior for self-regulated learning (SRL) is crucial for academic success in L2 writing. Yet little is
known about how learners’ motivation-related factors develop as their strategic behavior progresses during classroom instruction
in L2 writing contexts. Informed by SRL theory, this longitudinal case study adopted multiple assessment approaches to explicating
the development trajectories of two Chinese L2 writers’ motivational factors relating to expectancy, value, and goal orientation
(i.e., self-efficacy, task value, and goal orientations) and strategic behavior in the classroom ecology of self-regulation
strategies-based instruction. Participants were one high-proficiency writer and one low-proficiency writer who were enrolled in
the self-regulation strategies-based writing course. They voluntarily participated in this study and completed semi-structured
interviews and reflective journals at the beginning (T1), the middle (T2), and the end of the instruction (T3). Field notes were
used to complement the primary data sources. The qualitative analyses revealed both students’ limited understanding of SRL
strategies at the initial stage. Their strategic behavior progressed with the social and metacognitive scaffolding at T2, but only
the high-proficiency writer sustained active engagement at T3. With different goal orientations and linguistic self-efficacy at
the initial stage, both students reported noticeable increases in their intrinsic goal orientation, task value, and self-efficacy
in classroom performance at T2 and T3. Their motivational states were also affected by linguistic proficiency, metacognitive
scaffolding, and social interactions during the instruction. This study is expected to provide insights into how L2 writers’ strategic behavior progresses with their changes in
motivations.
Self-regulated learning (SRL) has been recognized as an effective approach to cultivating proactive learners and enhancing
their learning outcomes across various educational disciplines (Reinders et al., 2023;
Schunk & Greene, 2018; Zimmerman & Schunk,
2011). In recent years, the application of SRL in second/foreign language (L2) learning has garnered significant attention
in research on the teaching and learning of different language skills (Bai & Wang,
2021; Chen et al., 2022; Sun, 2022; Teng, 2022; Zhou & Thomas, 2023). SRL holds
immense importance in L2 writing contexts, too, as L2 writers are required to navigate complex cognitive and metacognitive processes
to produce high-quality written outputs (Chen et al., 2022; Zhang & Zhang, 2023). Thus, L2 learners need to deploy a range of SRL strategies to help them regulate
cognition, motivation, and social environments to achieve their learning goals (Teng & Zhang,
2016; Teng & Zhang, 2023). Many L2 scholars have argued that incorporating
SRL strategies into classroom instruction provides learners with valuable opportunities to engage in meaningful language learning
activities, thus fostering the development of strategic learners and facilitating effective instruction in various language skills
(Rose et al., 2018; Zhang & Zhang, 2019;
Zhang et al., 2019).
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