Modelling the Relationships among Feedback Engagement, Writing Self-Efficacy, and Assessment Performance among EFL Learners: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach

Abstract

This study examined the relationships between feedback engagement, writing self-efficacy, and perceived assessment performance among Saudi EFL university students. Drawing on the Feedback Engagement Framework and Self-Regulated Learning theory, the research investigated how students’ engagement with feedback relates to their confidence in writing and their perceived achievement. A total of 725 undergraduates completed a validated questionnaire, and the proposed model was tested through structural equation modelling following exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The results indicated that feedback engagement positively predicted writing self-efficacy (β = 0.54, p < 0.001) and perceived assessment performance (β = 0.28, p = 0.002). Writing self-efficacy also had a positive effect on perceived performance (β = 0.42, p < 0.001) and partially mediated the relationship between engagement and performance (β = 0.23, p < 0.001). These outcomes show that students who engage actively with feedback develop stronger confidence in their writing abilities, which contributes to higher perceived performance. The study advances understanding of feedback as a motivational and self-regulatory process and offers practical guidance for encouraging learner autonomy, reflection, and improvement within formative assessment practices in Saudi higher education.