A Latent Profile Analysis of Vocational L2 Learners’ Engagement With GenAI Feedback: Associations With Metacognitive Strategies and Writing Performance

The advent of GenAI has significantly enhanced feedback practices, yet its effectiveness hinges on students’ meaningful engagement, a construct that has received growing scholarly attention in second language (L2) writing research. While prior research has explored various factors influencing engagement with feedback, the role of metacognitive strategies, a key component of self-regulation, has received little focus. Furthermore, the relationship between learner engagement and writing outcomes remains inconclusive. Against these backdrops, this study employed a person-centred approach to examine feedback engagement patterns among L2 students, the associations between metacognitive strategies and engagement membership and between engagement profiles and writing performance in a GenAI-mediated writing environment. Latent profile analysis of 310 students from a vocational college identified three distinct engagement profiles: Pragmatic engagers, limited engagers and comprehensive engagers. Five metacognitive strategies, including planning, monitoring, evaluating, information management and debugging, were significantly associated with profile membership, with profiles characterised by more substantial engagement tending to report higher levels of strategy use. While comprehensive engagers outperformed limited engagers in writing, no significant difference was found between comprehensive and pragmatic engagers. Based on these findings, implications for enhancing L2 student engagement with GenAI feedback were discussed. © 2026 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.