Assessing L2 secondary student writing feedback literacy and its predictive effect on their L2 writing performance

While student feedback literacy has garnered increasing attention in second language education, there is a paucity of research on the relationship between second language (L2) student writing feedback literacy and L2 student writing performance, especially in secondary school contexts. Based on two independent samples of 600 (54.3% female) and 727 (46.2% female) secondary students, the present study validated the L2-Student Writing Feedback Literacy Scale (L2-SWFLS) for secondary students in the Chinese context of English as a foreign language (EFL) and probed into the association between L2 secondary student writing feedback literacy and L2 writing performance. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were carried out to examine the factorial structure of the L2-SWFLS for secondary students. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed to examine the relationship between L2 secondary student writing feedback literacy and L2 writing performance. The findings revealed that the L2 secondary student writing feedback literacy comprised two factors, i.e. Using Feedback (10 items) and Evaluating Feedback (4 items), which had acceptable reliability. However, the L2 secondary students’ writing feedback literacy was not associated with their writing performance, which might be due to the existence of some mediators between the two and the students’ limited level of writing feedback literacy. This study advances the understanding of L2 student writing feedback literacy and provides notable insights for L2 secondary teachers to foster students’ capabilities of using feedback and evaluating feedback.