Yuan Yao

Student engagement with generative AI (GenAI) feedback is central to effective second language (L2) writing development. However, behavioral, cognitive, and emotional challenges often undermine this engagement, limiting the pedagogical potential of GenAI feedback. This study examines the changes in 10 college students’ engagement with GenAI feedback associated with teacher and peer scaffolding in a Chinese English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) context. Data were collected through chat logs, essay drafts, and semi-structured interviews. The results show descriptive increases in students’ engagement with GenAI feedback during the interaction and revision phases, although to varying degrees. Teacher scaffolding such as systematic modeling, guided reflection, and real-time feedback, as well as peer scaffolding such as interpersonal relationship and group collaboration were found to be related to enhanced engagement. This study contributes to the literature on enhancement of student engagement with GenAI feedback and provides practical recommendations for GenAI use in L2 writing classes.

Drawing on social cognitive theory, this study examined the role of growth translation mindset (GTM) in linking AI‐mediated informal digital learning of English (AI‐IDLE) to translation performance among Chinese EFL learners. Quantitative data were collected from 378 college students, followed by 12 semi‐structured interviews. PROCESS Model 4 was employed to test the mediation model, and thematic analysis was conducted to delve into nuanced interpretations. Results showed that AI‐IDLE was not directly associated with translation performance, but exerted a significant indirect effect through GTM. Qualitative findings further indicated that AI‐IDLE contributed to translation development when learners critically engaged with GenAI through GTM. These findings highlight GTM as a key mechanism linking AI‐IDLE to measurable learning outcomes and suggest implications for mindset‐informed L2 translation pedagogy.

The emergence of generative artificial intelligence (Gen-AI) tools is fundamentally reshaping the landscape of education. This randomized controlled trial, conducted over an eight-week period, investigates the potential of employing ChatGPT to devise personalized writing program aimed at fostering a growth mindset among second language (L2) learners. A sample of 117 undergraduate students from a Chinese university participated in this study and were randomly allocated to either the experimental ( N = 59) or control groups ( N = 58). Both groups completed two reading-to-write tasks. While the control group engaged in traditional writing tasks, the experimental group undertook personalized writing tasks. Specifically, the reading material was themed around the beliefs of growth mindset, and the detailed content generated by ChatGPT was tailored to students’ individual beliefs and L2 learning experiences. The findings reveal that the personalized writing program effectively bolstered students’ growth mindset in L2 learning. Furthermore, students generally expressed positive attitudes towards the personalized writing program and endorsed the application of Gen-AI in similar learning endeavors in the future. This study introduces an innovative approach to cultivate a growth mindset in L2 learners within authentic learning environment. Besides, it demonstrates the application of Gen-AI in delivering personalized learning experiences for students, providing sample procedures for the generation of prompts to obtain personalized reading materials.

Adaptability refers to a long-term, self-regulating process that enables learners to respond effectively to situational uncertainty and developmental challenges. However, research on adaptability in writing remains relatively limited. Existing studies suggest that adaptability in writing can be supported by cognitive resources like growth mindset (GM), emotional resources like grit, and behaviours resources like strategy use (SU). Yet, little is known about how these resources jointly support writing performance. The present study examined the interrelationships among these three resources from 783 Chinese fourth graders in the Greater Bay Area. Structural equation modelling (SEM) revealed that, overall, grit and SU jointly mediated the association between GM and writing performance. Multi-group SEM analyses further showed region-specific patterns. For Guangdong students, GM played a more prominent role than grit, whereas for Hong Kong students, grit emerged as the stronger contributor. These findings together enrich our understanding of how cognitive, emotional, and behavioural resources support adaptability in writing, thereby contributing to the theoretical account of writing adaptability. Drawing on differences in pedagogical practices between Guangdong and Hong Kong, we further discuss how learning environment may shape adaptive learning mechanisms. Implications are provided for instructional practices to foster students’ adaptive capacities in writing.

Within the framework of control‐value theory (CVT), this study employed latent profile analysis to identify distinct academic emotion profiles (encompassing enjoyment, anxiety, boredom and foreign language peace of mind) among 1088 secondary school ethnic minority English‐as‐a‐foreign‐language (EFL) learners in China. Four emotion groups were identified: negative emotions, moderate‐level mixed emotions, high‐level mixed emotions and positive emotions. Wald chi‐square tests revealed significant differences in engagement across the four groups in behavioural and cognitive engagement, with the positive emotion group scoring the highest, followed sequentially by the high‐level mixed emotion, moderate‐level mixed emotion and negative emotion groups. In emotional engagement, the positive emotion group still ranked highest and the negative emotion group lowest, while no significant difference was observed between the two mixed emotion groups. Multinomial logistic regression analysis indicated that perceived classroom affordance significantly predicted emotion group memberships. Higher affordance perception increased the likelihood of belonging to the positive emotion group while reducing the probability of classification into the high‐level mixed, moderate‐level mixed and negative emotion groups in sequence. These findings extend the CVT by illuminating the complex emotional experiences of underrepresented ethnic minority EFL learners in China and their correlates with environmental and behavioural factors.