How language proficiency and peer familiarity shape engagement with feedback in English as a Foreign Language writing

This study investigates how learner language proficiency and peer familiarity interact to shape English as a Foreign Language students’ engagement with peer feedback, drawing on Fredricks et al.’s tripartite model of engagement (affective, cognitive, behavioral), self-determination theory, and social interdependence theory to conceptualize engagement as a socially mediated and motivationally dynamic process. To interpret engagement variation, the study incorporates self-determination theory and social interdependence theory, conceptualizing engagement as socially mediated and motivationally dynamic. Three research questions examine how language proficiency influences engagement, peer familiarity affects engagement across feedback roles, and the two variables interact, especially for low-proficiency learners. A 2 × 2 factorial mixed-methods design involved 212 Chinese university students in an academic writing course. Participants were grouped by proficiency (high and low) and peer familiarity (familiar and unfamiliar). Quantitative data from post-task questionnaires were analyzed using analysis of variance and regression; qualitative data from 16 interviews were thematically analyzed. Findings show that language proficiency was the strongest predictor of engagement, especially in a feedback-giving role. Peer familiarity selectively enhanced affective and behavioral engagement for low-proficiency learners. Interviews revealed that peer familiarity fostered emotional safety, interpretive confidence, and revision agency, particularly among socially vulnerable learners. These findings support a differentiated, role-sensitive model of engagement shaped by learner traits and relational context. Theoretically, the study extends engagement research by applying self-determination and social interdependence theories to explain how language proficiency and familiarity interact. Pedagogically, it recommends pairing and task design strategies aligned with learners’ relational readiness and language proficiency.