Examining language learners’ GenAI-assisted writing self-efficacy profiles and the relationship with their writing self-regulated learning strategies

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has emerged as an effective scaffolding tool for facilitating English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) learners’ writing performance. Nevertheless, most studies have investigated the impacts of GenAI on learners’ final written outputs instead of their writing processes. To fill this research gap, we examined EFL learners’ self-efficacy and writing self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies, which were essential motivational constructs underlying GenAI-assisted writing processes. Our person-centered latent profile analysis of 193 EFL learners revealed four groups of students with diverse GenAI-assisted writing self-efficacy levels: highly confident all-rounders, practical assistance seekers, interaction-oriented communicators, and unconfident less-adaptable users. These four profiles were found to be closely tied to their writing SRL strategy use. Furthermore, years of English learning experience and perceived English proficiency seemed to be significant antecedents of EFL learners’ GenAI-assisted writing self-efficacy profiles. These findings could chart new ways for EFL writing syllabus design in the GenAI context. • Four profiles found: all-rounders; assistance-seekers; communicators; unconfident users • GenAI-assisted writing self-efficacy profiles related to writing SRL strategy use • English learning experience and proficiency predicted four distinct profiles