Leveraging self-regulated learning to develop L2 students’ feedback literacy in GenAI-mediated writing environments: an intervention study

The incorporation of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has greatly transformed the feedback landscape. While there is a burgeoning scholarship on GenAI feedback, student feedback literacy in GenAI contexts receives relatively little attention. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a self-regulated learning (SRL)-based intervention on L2 university students’ feedback literacy in a GenAI-mediated writing environment. A quasi-experimental design was employed, involving an experimental group that received SRL-based instruction and a control group that received no such intervention. Data were collected from self-reported questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The quantitative results revealed that the experimental group improved their feedback literacy in both cognitive and behavioural dimensions. Interview data further illuminated that the intervention enhanced students’ ability to interpret GenAI-generated feedback, develop more discerning evaluations of its usefulness, employ strategic prompting practices, critically appraise feedback before uptake, and refine revision strategies. In contrast, no significant differences were observed in the affective and ethical dimensions of feedback literacy, indicating the need for additional support beyond leveraging SRL. The present study advances our understanding of student feedback literacy in an increasingly GenAI-driven world. It also offers pedagogical implications for supporting students’ feedback literacy development, enabling them to meaningfully and ethically engage with GenAI feedback.