Navigating Self-Regulated Writing: How EFL University Students Use Strategies and Online Resources

Developing autonomy in writing is crucial for EFL students, as effective writing requires not only language skills but also cognitive, metacognitive, motivational, and behavioral strategies that enable students to regulate and direct their own learning process. In this context, Self-Regulated Writing (SRW) is an important strategy as it enables students to initiate, monitor their thinking, and independently evaluate and revise their drafts. This study examines (1) EFL students' Self-Regulated Writing (SRW) strategies in essay writing, (2) advanced students' SRW strategies across the PLEE cycle, and (3) the online resources they use while writing. From 62 essay writing students, 5 were selected for semi-structured interviews utilizing purposive sampling in this concurrent mixed methods study. Descriptive statistics were used for closed-ended surveys, whereas thematic analysis was used for observations and interviews. The results showed that SRW ranks social environment first and motive last. Students used Google Scholar for independent writing during planning and QuillBot for individual writing during implementation and evaluation. Pedagogically, this study helps educators develop writing experiences that support autonomy.