Adaptability in Chinese writing: the predictive roles of growth mindset, grit, and strategy use among primary school students

Adaptability refers to a long-term, self-regulating process that enables learners to respond effectively to situational uncertainty and developmental challenges. However, research on adaptability in writing remains relatively limited. Existing studies suggest that adaptability in writing can be supported by cognitive resources like growth mindset (GM), emotional resources like grit, and behaviours resources like strategy use (SU). Yet, little is known about how these resources jointly support writing performance. The present study examined the interrelationships among these three resources from 783 Chinese fourth graders in the Greater Bay Area. Structural equation modelling (SEM) revealed that, overall, grit and SU jointly mediated the association between GM and writing performance. Multi-group SEM analyses further showed region-specific patterns. For Guangdong students, GM played a more prominent role than grit, whereas for Hong Kong students, grit emerged as the stronger contributor. These findings together enrich our understanding of how cognitive, emotional, and behavioural resources support adaptability in writing, thereby contributing to the theoretical account of writing adaptability. Drawing on differences in pedagogical practices between Guangdong and Hong Kong, we further discuss how learning environment may shape adaptive learning mechanisms. Implications are provided for instructional practices to foster students’ adaptive capacities in writing.