Effects of Reflective Writing Activities on EFL Students' Engagement in Argumentative Essay Writing

Abstract

Student engagement remains a critical yet underexplored dimension of EFL writing instruction, particularly in contexts where passive learning predominates. This study investigated the effects of reflective writing tasks (RWTs) on four dimensions of EFL student engagement, behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and social, using an interrupted time-series design (ITSD) with repeated measures. Quantitative data were collected from 30 third-year EFL students enrolled in an Advanced Writing Skills course at a public university in southern Ethiopia across six measurement points (three pre-interventions and three post-intervention) using a validated 20-item Student Engagement Questionnaire (SEQ). Repeated measures ANOVA revealed statistically significant increases across all four engagement dimensions (p< .001) with very large effect sizes (ηp² = .775–.837). Social engagement demonstrated the most substantial improvement (ηp² = .837, F (5,145) = 148.80), followed by behavioral (ηp² = .822), cognitive (ηp² = .816), and emotional engagement (ηp² = .775). Bonferroni-adjusted pairwise comparisons confirmed that all 36 pre-tests to post-test comparisons were statistically significant, while no post-test comparisons differed, indicating sustained engagement gains. Qualitative interview data complemented these findings, revealing a shift from passive reception to active participation, reduced writing anxiety, and enhanced peer collaboration. These results affirm that reflective writing tasks constitute a high-impact instructional strategy for fostering multidimensional EFL learner engagement in argumentative essay writing contexts