Implementation of Self-regulated Learning Writing Module: Amplifying Motivation and Mitigating Anxiety among EFL Learners

Abstract

EFL learners often face difficulties in their writing performance, motivation, and writing anxiety when engaging in the writing process. To address these issues, a Self-regulated Learning Writing Module (SRLWM) was developed to assist EFL learners in their writing tasks. The main objective of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of the SRLWM on the writing performance, anxiety levels, and motivation of college-level EFL learners. The study involved a total of 70 EFL learners from a university in Henan Province, China, and utilized a quasi-experimental design with an experimental SRLWM group and a control group. The participants underwent eight weeks of SRLWM training. Pretests and posttests were conducted to assess the participants’ writing performance, motivation, and writing anxiety, and the data were analyzed using a two-way repeated measures ANOVA and Mann-Whitney U test. The results revealed a significant improvement in both writing performance and motivation among the participants in the SRLWM group, accompanied by a notable decrease in writing anxiety. These improvements were considerably different from the outcomes observed in the control group. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that SRL is an effective tool for EFL writing instruction. Consequently, the integration of SRLWM into EFL writing classes can be highly beneficial. Further research in this area could focus on dynamically tracking learners’ progress in writing, as well as their levels of writing anxiety and motivation, by employing action research methodologies.