Contextualized guided interventions to enhance EFL undergraduates’ writing self-efficacy: Insights from the Situated Academic Writing Self-Efficacy Scale

This study examines the effectiveness of a contextualized intervention guided by the Situated Academic Writing Self-Efficacy Scale (SAWSES) in enhancing writing self-efficacy among English as a foreign language (EFL) undergraduates. Employing a mixed-methods design, the research involved 81 first-year students from a comprehensive university in Southeast China. Participants were divided into an experimental group (n = 41), which engaged in a SAWSES-based intervention incorporating reflective tasks, peer feedback, and process-oriented writing support, and a control group (n = 40), which received teacher-fronted, lecture-based, accuracy-focused instruction. Quantitative data from preintervention and postintervention surveys, supplemented by qualitative analysis of reflective journals, revealed significant gains in writing self-efficacy in both groups, with the experimental group demonstrating notably greater improvement. The intervention proved effective across different academic disciplines and gender groups, suggesting broad applicability at the undergraduate level. These findings highlight the value of structured reflection and contextualized support in fostering academic writing confidence. Implications for pedagogy and avenues for future research are discussed, with particular attention to cross-disciplinary applicability and varying educational levels.