Abstract
Writing self-efficacy plays a foundational role in shaping academic success and psychological engagement among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writers. Despite extensive research on peer review, the specific affective and cognitive mechanisms through which structured asynchronous online peer feedback (AOPF) influences multi-dimensional writing self-efficacy in Middle Eastern higher education settings remain underexplored. This mixed-methods study investigated the impact of a 14-week AOPF intervention delivered via a learning management system on the L2 writing self-efficacy of advanced Saudi EFL undergraduate students (N = 78). Quantitative data were gathered using an adapted Second Language Writing Self-Efficacy Scale administered before and after the intervention across three subscales: ideation self-efficacy, conventions self-efficacy, and self-regulation self-efficacy. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews (n = 16) and student reflective learning logs. Paired-samples t-tests indicated statistically significant gains across all three dimensions of writing self-efficacy, with the most pronounced improvements observed in self-regulation and ideation. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data corroborated the quantitative findings, revealing that asynchronous review afforded cognitive breathing space, reduced face-threat anxiety, and fostered vicarious learning through modeled critique. These findings demonstrate that carefully scaffolded AOPF fosters autonomous metacognitive monitoring and psychological resilience in academic writing. Pedagogical implications for integrating structured online peer feedback in Arab tertiary EFL curricula are discussed.
