Self-regulated Writing: Strategies and Mediators for Chinese Students in UK

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the specific self-regulated writing (SRW) strategies and their mediating factors among high-achieving Chinese international students in UK higher education contexts, a group that constitutes one of the largest international student populations yet remains largely underexplored in SRW research. Guided by an integrated theoretical framework of social cognitive theory and sociocultural theory, the study adopted semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis with six participants. Results identified three core SRW strategies: outline-making and planning with self-created files, logic-prioritized self-proofreading, and individualized motivational regulation including self-talk, meditation, and self-consequencing. Further analysis revealed that SRW practice is dynamically shaped by the interaction of two categories of factors: sociocultural contextual factors (including feedback quality, in-class writing guidance, and adaptation to UK academic norms) and personal cognitive factors (including self-efficacy and motivational beliefs, with task utility and topic interest emerging as key motivational drivers). The findings verify the integrated theoretical framework’s explanatory power in cross-cultural settings, address the research gap in qualitative investigations of high-achieving Chinese learners’ SRW processes, and further provide targeted pedagogical implications.