Metacognitive Instruction to Enhance EFL Writers’ Metacognition, Feedback Uptake, and Revision Performance in a GenAI‐Assisted Feedback Context

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the impact of a metacognitive instruction (MI) intervention on EFL writers’ metacognition, feedback uptake, and revision performance in a Generative AI (GenAI)‐assisted feedback environment. The MI intervention integrated prompt engineering into EFL writing pedagogy following a four‐step MI sequence. Participants were 141 EFL learners recruited from a Chinese university, with 71 allocated to the experimental group (EG), which received the MI intervention, and 70 assigned to the control group (CG), which engaged with GenAI feedback without additional scaffolding. Following a pretest–posttest quasi‐experimental design, data were collected from multiple sources, including questionnaires, reflective journals, think‐aloud protocols, and draft and revised writing products. Results showed that the MI intervention significantly improved students’ strategy knowledge and all dimensions of metacognitive strategy use. EG participants demonstrated more elaborate uptake of GenAI feedback on global writing issues. Moreover, the EG achieved greater feedback‐informed revision gains in content and organization, with no significant differences observed in grammar, vocabulary, and mechanics. This study has important pedagogical implications for designing and implementing situated metacognitive scaffolding to support EFL writers’ critical and effective engagement with GenAI‐assisted feedback.