Motivation, Self‐Regulated R2W Strategy Use, and Their Relationship Patterns Among Different Writing Performance Groups

ABSTRACT The study investigated how writing motivation and self‐regulated read‐to‐write (SRL‐R2W) strategy use was related to writing performance and how the relationship between motivation and SRL‐R2W strategy use varied among different writing performance groups. The participants were 464 Grade 9 EFL learners randomly selected from schools in a southern city of China. The study surveyed their writing motivation and SRL‐R2W strategy use with a questionnaire, and measured their writing performance with a writing task. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) results indicated that high, medium, and low‐performance groups had significant differences in three motivational factors (i.e., self‐efficacy, interest, and boredom) and the use of two SRL‐R2W strategies (i.e., mining reading and writerly evaluation strategy). Group‐wise structural equation modelling analyses demonstrated that high performers’ self‐efficacy and interest impacted SRL‐R2W strategy use, whereas boredom didn't. Low performers’ boredom negatively impacted their SRL‐R2W strategy use. Self‐efficacy had a more consistent relationship with strategy use than interest and boredom across different performance groups. The findings revealed that motivation and SRL‐R2W strategy use as well as their relationship patterns could account for different writing performance levels, which enhances the understanding of the SRL‐R2W strategy model and social cognitive perspective toward self‐regulated writing.