Unveiling ESL Undergraduate Students’ Affective, Cognitive, and Behavioral Attitudes toward Teacher–Student Conferencing Integrated with Written Feedback

Abstract

This study examined Pakistani ESL undergraduate students’ attitudes toward integrating one-on-one teacher–student writing conferencing with teacher-written feedback in university writing classrooms. The study addressed persistent challenges in Pakistani ESL writing instruction, including limited interactive feedback, teacher-centered pedagogy, and students’ low writing proficiency. A quasi-experimental mixed-methods design was employed involving 80 undergraduate students from a public-sector university in Pakistan, with 40 students in the experimental group and 40 in the control group. Over 16 weeks, the experimental group received writing instruction through teacher–student conferencing integrated with teacher-written feedback, while the control group received conventional written feedback only. Data were collected through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, whereas qualitative data were analyzed thematically. The findings revealed that students exposed to conferencing integrated with written feedback demonstrated more positive affective, cognitive, and behavioral attitudes toward writing instruction. The intervention also enhanced students’ confidence, engagement, and motivation in writing activities. The study suggests that integrating teacher–student conferencing with written feedback can promote more effective and learner-centered writing instruction in Pakistani ESL higher education contexts.