Understanding the Motivations Behind Feedback‐Seeking Behavior in L2 Writing: A Situated Expectancy‐Value Perspective

ABSTRACT Despite the growing interest in feedback‐seeking behavior (FSB) in L2 writing, few studies have examined the power of feedback‐specific motivational beliefs in predicting FSB or have considered the situated nature of feedback. This article applies a situated expectancy‐value theory (SEVT) to uncover the motivational determinants of L2 writing learners’ strategies to obtain and apply teacher feedback. Specifically, the article investigates to what extent students’ feedback‐seeking strategies are driven by their expectancy for successful utilization of teacher feedback, perceived intrinsic and extrinsic values of teacher feedback, and the psychological and effort costs associated with teacher feedback. Questionnaire responses were collected from 344 undergraduate students attending an English course at a Chinese university. Structural equation modeling revealed that expectancy and intrinsic value had a large and positive effect on feedback monitoring and inquiry. Extrinsic value only had a large and positive effect on feedback monitoring. Effort cost only had a medium and positive effect on feedback inquiry. Overall, the SEVT model was shown to have higher predictive power than other hypothesized models in previous studies, suggesting its potential in explaining FSB. This article has significant implications for research and practices related to feedback seeking.