Chinese learners account for the largest proportion among international students studying Korean, and many of them perceive writing as the most challenging skill. This suggests that, compared to other language skills such as listening and reading, wri...
Chinese learners account for the largest proportion among international students studying Korean, and many of them perceive writing as the most challenging skill. This suggests that, compared to other language skills such as listening and reading, writing proficiency tends to lag behind, thereby highlighting the growing importance of writing feedback as an effective instructional strategy to enhance writing abilities. However, even when identical writing feedback is provided, its effectiveness can vary depending on how actively learners engage with and respond to it. In other words, learner engagement with feedback plays a key role in determining its effectiveness and serves as a crucial link between feedback and learning outcomes. Although previous studies in the field of second language education have found that writing self-efficacy mediates learners’ engagement with feedback, the specific process through which this occurs has not been sufficiently explored. In addition, research on feedback engagement in Korean language education has mainly focused on behavioral dimensions, indicating a need for more multidimensional and in-depth investigations.
This study, based on this awareness, aimed to analyze the patterns of writing feedback engagement according to the level of writing self-efficacy among advanced Chinese learners of Korean. It further examined the similarities and differences in feedback engagement between high and low self-efficacy groups and derived educational implications for Korean writing instruction. A multiple case study design was employed, and a writing self-efficacy survey was administered to 30 advanced Chinese learners whose academic goal was university admission. Based on the survey scores, 10 participants were selected—five each from the high and low self-efficacy groups. The research was conducted in two stages: (1) performance of a writing task and (2) writing revision and post-task interviews. Based on the degree of engagement, learners were categorized into four types: “high self-efficacy and active engagement,” “high self-efficacy and passive engagement,” “low self-efficacy and active engagement,” and “low self-efficacy and passive engagement.”
The analysis revealed both commonalities and differences between the two groups in emotional, cognitive, and behavioral dimensions of feedback engagement. In terms of emotional engagement, both groups recognized the usefulness and necessity of teacher feedback, but the high self-efficacy group more actively embraced it as a learning opportunity. In contrast, the low self-efficacy group tended to engage with feedback in a more formalistic and task-oriented manner. In the cognitive dimension, the low self-efficacy group experienced more difficulty in understanding feedback, especially that related to vocabulary. Meanwhile, the high self-efficacy group engaged in deeper and more diverse cognitive processing. Regarding behavioral engagement, both groups showed similar revision success rates for form-based feedback, likely due to the explicit nature of the corrections. However, for feedback related to expression, content, and structure, the high self-efficacy group showed higher engagement, and both groups’ active engagement cases demonstrated the use of revision strategies.
Based on the findings, this study classified advanced Chinese learners of Korean into four types:“high self-efficacy and active engagement,” “high self-efficacy and passive engagement,” “low self-efficacy and active engagement,” and “low self-efficacy and passive engagement”and proposed corresponding pedagogical implications. Specifically, the study emphasizes the importance of providing tailored feedback by considering both learners’ levels of writing self-efficacy and their engagement tendencies, including efforts to bridge the gap between self-efficacy and actual writing ability, promote self-efficacy, and raise awareness of the importance of engaging with feedback.