Can GenAI deliver growth-oriented feedback? Evidence for enhancing learners’ growth mindset and adaptive motivation in second language writing

Drawing on the mindsets theory, this study explores the use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in producing growth-oriented feedback (i.e., feedback that aligns with the principles of growth mindset) and investigates its impact on students’ growth mindset, adaptive responses, and second language (L2) English writing performance. This field experiment was conducted at a university in China, involving 92 first- and second-year undergraduate students ( M age = 18.76, SD =.882; 80.4% males and 19.6% females). The participants were randomly assigned to an experimental group ( n = 49) or a control group ( n = 43) and completed pre- and post-questionnaires. Over the course of a semester, the participants completed three argumentative writing tasks. After each task, the experimental group received GenAI-generated growth-oriented feedback, whereas the control group received GenAI-generated corrective feedback. The results showed that growth-oriented feedback significantly enhanced students’ growth mindset and maintained their adaptive responses to mistakes at a relatively high level. In contrast, GenAI-generated corrective feedback led to a decline in adaptive responses to mistakes. Moreover, the change in growth mindset mediated the effect of feedback types on adaptive responses and writing performance. This study offers insights into the effectiveness of GenAI in generating growth-oriented feedback, highlighting its potential of GenAI feedback in L2 writing to go beyond error correction and foster motivational, behavioral, and academic development.