Moving Beyond Surface Changes: How Novice L2 Writers Strategically Revise in DDL‐Supported Argumentative Writing

ABSTRACT Despite a large body of literature on data‐driven learning (DDL) in second language (L2) writing, relatively few empirical studies explore the types of strategies employed by learners during DDL‐supported revision processes. Anchored in sociocultural theory, this study investigated the strategies used by seven novice L2 undergraduate writers in corpus‐supported revision over a 14‐week semester. The focal group used an Expert Argumentative Text Corpus across four multi‐draft writing cycles in a blended learning design. The study analyzed and triangulated data from group discussions, self‐reports, individual interviews, and written texts with traceable changes. Findings showed that learners employed varied metacognitive, collaborative, and affective strategies and actively engaged with the corpus and other resources to make surface changes (i.e., spelling, grammar) and meaningful (i.e., coherence, elaboration) revisions. The evolving strategies revealed learners’ deeper engagement with DDL through peer collaboration, which transformed initial peer pressure into peer support.