Mi Rong

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.

Purpose: Despite the rapid proliferation of empirical studies on generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in second language (L2) writing, a systematic review of how GenAI supports L2 writing learning remains scarce. This study aims to fill this gap by providing a comprehensive synthesis of existing research. Design/Approach/Method: We conducted a systematic review of 55 pertinent articles published in SSCI journals between January 2023 and July 2025, employing Activity Theory as our analytical framework. The review systematically examined six key components within the activity system: subjects (participant characteristics), tools (research instruments), community (research contexts), division of labor (social roles and power distribution), rules (procedural norms), and objects (learning goals). Findings: Our analysis revealed that tools, division of labor, and rules serve as mediating components that exert both positive and negative effects on learning objects (i.e., the goals of learning activities). The framework effectively captured the complex interactions among different elements within GenAI-assisted L2 writing research. Originality/Value: This study contributes to the literature by providing the first systematic review of GenAI-assisted L2 writing research within a theoretical framework. The Activity Theory perspective offers novel insights into understanding how different components interact in this emerging field.

Teacher agency is considered a key driver of teacher professional growth, student improvement, and educational change. This study contributes to the sparse research on language teacher agency in blended learning (BL). Using activity theory to conceptualize teacher agency, this study explores how two English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers exerted agency while implementing BL at a Chinese university. This study also examines the factors that mediate the exercise of agency. Data were collected through classroom observations, interviews with both teachers and their students, and course documents to provide a thorough understanding of teachers’ experiences with blended teaching. The data analysis revealed that successful agentic actions to address contradictions included selecting the appropriate delivery to match learning goals, making good use of online tools for interaction, assigning students active roles, flexibly enacting rules, and building a supportive climate. However, some contradictions within the instructional activity system remain unresolved. Mediating factors such as tools (teachers’ expertise and beliefs), community (students and other professors), and rules (curriculum assessment) were found to shape teacher agency in the BL context. This study contributes to the literature on teacher agency in BL, and provides practical recommendations for teacher professional development and curriculum reform.