Variations in perceived self-efficacy in information literacy and their impacts on self-regulated English writing strategies

Understanding how students manage, control, and optimize their learning processes, particularly in the context of English writing, is crucial in the digital era. This is especially true when considering the influences of their confidence in locating, evaluating, and utilizing information. The present study explores the concept of information literacy self-efficacy by examining variations in perceived self-efficacy levels among Chinese English language learners at the tertiary level. The research further investigates how these varying levels influence students’ use of self-regulated learning (SRL) writing strategies in the foreign language (L2) contexts. The findings revealed that university students demonstrated lower self-efficacy in intermediate information literacy compared to basic and advanced levels. Additionally, basic and intermediate information literacy self-efficacy did not significantly predict the use of cognitive, metacognitive, environmental, and emotional regulation strategies. However, advanced information literacy self-efficacy significantly predicted the use of metacognitive, environmental, and emotional regulation strategies yet it failed to predict the use of cognitive strategies. These results underscore the complexity of the relationship between information literacy self-efficacy and SRL writing strategies, providing critical insights into pedagogical practices aimed at enhancing students’ information literacy and self-regulated abilities in English writing.