Relationship Between Pre-Writing Task Perception and Post-Writing Feedback Handling: The Mediating Role of During-Writing Task Implementation Strategies and Moderating Role of Second Language Writing Proficiency

Second/foreign language writing consists of a cycle of three phases (i.e., forethought, performance, and reflection) that interact with each other. However, studies on the interaction of these different phases are limited. Self-regulated strategies are used and enacted differently across these phases of second/foreign language writing, forming sequential relationships within the strategic system. However, the interconnections among phase-specific strategies (especially the theoretically directional relationships across these three phases) remain underexplored. Combining structural equation modeling and thematic analysis, this study explored the impact of pre-writing task perception on post-writing feedback handling, with five during-writing task implementation strategies as mediators and second/foreign language writing proficiency as a potential moderator. Analyses of 336 surveys and 14 interviews collected from Chinese second-year university English learners revealed three major findings. First, pre-writing task perception significantly and positively predicted post-writing feedback handling, but students’ English writing proficiency did not significantly moderate this relationship. Second, among task implementation strategies, only text processing significantly and complementarily mediated the positive effect of pre-writing task perception on post-writing feedback handling. Third, learner self-expectation and teacher feedback emphasizing grammatical accuracy, lexical diversity, and discourse arrangements could explain the relationships within the self-regulated second/foreign language writing strategies and the role of second/foreign language writing proficiency. These findings contribute to understanding the relationships among self-regulated second/foreign language writing strategies, which should inform future second/foreign language writing education for both learners and teachers.