Academic writing is an important skill for people learning a second language, especially when they are at the upper-intermediate level. At this stage, learners are expected to express clear and logical ideas, think critically, and use the right language for academic situations. However, numerous research continuously shows that only feedback doesnot improve completely unless students actively process and interpret it. (Carless & Boud,2018). Because some learners apply revisions at a surface level or ignore comments that they do not comprehend (Ferris,2018). Reflective writing is increasingly recognized as a type of deepening learning where the intentional examination of one’s writing decisions, learning strategies and feedback responses are summarized. (Boud, Keogh & Walker,2013).  According to Colomer et al.(2013) and Hyeler (2015) reflection is a process of exploring experiences to develop understanding and appreciation, is a fundamental feature of transformative learning. Learning through reflection is not only a question of acquiring knowledge or skills, but a matter of redevising the relationship between knowledge, practice, and experience.  Reflective writing fosters metacognitive awareness by motivating students to analyze their strong sides, weak points, and strategic choices (Zimmerman,2013). While writing reflection learners describe what they discovered, defend revisions, and make plans for further development. Moreover, the other research highlights that reflection can assist self-regulated learning, enhance noticing of linguistic features, and enhance the transfer of feedback to new assignments (Boudet al.,2013;Yang,Badger,& u,2006)

Peer and teacher feedback are essential aspects of process-based writing as the former encourages collaboration, audience awareness, and critical evaluation of others’ texts, while the latter presents expert guidance and input. However, many learners consider feedback as a passive correction activity rather than as a resource for improvement (Ferris, 2018).  Reflective writing allows students to consider the reasons behind their decisions, the relationship between feedback and learning objectives, and the necessary modifications serving as a link between receiving and applying feedback in this way.  In EFL environments, reflective writing has been associated with improved organization, rhetorical awareness, and revision depth (Chen, 2020). Reflection journals have been shown to assist learners evaluate peer comments more analytically and integrate teacher feedback more efficiently (Lee, 2017). However, empirical evidence combining reflection, peer and teacher feedback at school level remains minimal. Therefore, this study attempts to extend previous work by providing quantitative and qualitative evidence of reflective writing’s effects on academic essay performance. Teachers who use a reflective approach to teaching enable students to participate in the meaning-making process (Xhaferi & Xhaferi,2017)

 The research question is:

After receiving feedback from peers and teachers, how do students view the impact of reflective writing on their writing techniques, metacognitive awareness, and self-regulated learning in academic writing?     

The participants were 49 upper-intermediate students at intellectual school who share comparable academic experiences and English proficiency levels. Students were divided into three groups: 2 experimental groups(1EG and 2EG) consisting of 16 students in each and control group(CG) (17). All groups followed same course-syllabus and were taught by  the same instructor to minimize instructional variability.

A quasi-experimental research-design with pre- and post-writing tasks was employed, all participants completed three argumentative writing using prompt type “Discuss both views and give your opinion,” which is chosen according to test specification for summative tasks. The essay topics addressed 1)Virtual Reality and its impact on human communication, 2)Space Tourism emerging industry,3)Space funding priorities. All essays were written under-timed, exam-style conditions to guarantee uniformity and replicate actual assessment situations.

Both  experimental and control groups followed the same writing cycle. It included submission of an initial draft, participation in peer-feedback session, teacher-feedback, and submission of a final revised draft. Main difference between them was in post-feedback period since students in 

both EG completed structured reflective writing task.EG received 50-minute training on reflection guidelines and discussed each point. These 230–250-word reflections asked students to evaluate the criticism they had received, pinpoint their drafts' flaws, defend the changes they had made, explain what they had discovered about their writing, and establish objectives for future developmentThe control group didn’t engage in reflective-writing, instead, they updated their essays to feedback from teachers/peerTo ensure reliability, two trained raters independently scored all essays. Pre-and-post-intervention essays were assessed using specific analytic rubric designed for summative evaluation, emphasizing task response/argument balance, organization/coherence, lexical resource, grammatical-precision, content relevance.The experimental groups demonstrated substantial improvement between first and final essays with a mean gain of(1EG+13.63 and 2EG + 12,46 compared to +4.39, particularly in argument structure and logical flow from one paragraph to the next. Post-test results revealed statistically significant differences favoring EGs, t(44) = 3.68, p < .01.Category-based analysis indicated the strongest gains in organization/coherence (+18.9%), argumentation (+17.4%), followed by support/evidence (+15.3%). More modest improvements were observed in how correctly the sentences were made and in variety of words used. Contrarily, control group showed average but less pronounced gains, using academic connectors, expressing personal opinions accurately, however, when it came to coherence, they still have incomplete supporting sentences and inappropriate examples.Semi-structured interviews were deployed to investigate students’ attitudes toward reflective writing after peer and teacher feedback and its perceived effects on metacognitive awareness, writing strategies, and learner autonomy. Interview questions were consistent with Zimmerman’s (2000)Self-Regulated Learning model, addressing forethought, performance, and self-reflection processes. Students identified reoccurring weaknesses, established revision objectives, and progressed from minor adjustments to more comprehensive argument rearrangement. Students started to view themselves as active writers responsible for their learning rather than as passive consumers of feedback. Metacognitive awareness refers to students’ ability to think critically about their own thinking and writing processes. Several students reported that reflection allowed them to identify problems that they had previously overlooked. For example, Student (1EG-7) noted that before reflection he only changed grammar mistakes. After reflecting, he realized his argument order was confusing, so he reorganized body paragraphs. Another student (2EG-11) described how reflection assisted them realize gaps in their reasoning, that she thought her introduction was clear, but after reflecting, she noticed she hadn’t tied her thesis to examples. She added transitional sentences to present a cohesive argument. One student(2EG-2) explained that recognizing weaknesses in idea development required multiple rereading and

reference to rubric. These statements highlight how students moved from surface-level corrections to understanding the logic/ flow of his essay. Overall, reflections demonstrate progressive gains in understanding their own thinking, students’ ability to diagnose weaknesses and make deliberate revisions to increase clarity and coherence. For example, Student(EG1-3) shared that reflection helped him see his example didn’t support topic-sentence, he substituted more relevant example. Student(EG2-9) reported that after feedback about sentence-level clarity, she became aware of ambiguity and repetition in writing. This demonstrates how students were to critically assess evidence and ensure that examples aligned thanks to reflection. Students across different proficiency levels encountered distinct challenges. Learners in lower-level groups often demanded support realizing improper or weak examples, whereas those in middle-level groups focused on enhancing transitions, overall coherence, and high-level students concentrated on developing more nuanced, well-substantiated arguments. For instance, a middle-level student (8) critiqued that he struggled to connect paragraphs smoothly. Reviewing, he included topic sentences and cohesive devices to make text flow better. Thus, effective revision required not just recognizing mistakes but also thoughtful planning, experimentation, determination.Writer autonomy indicates students’ ability to make independent/decisions by recognizing their abilities/limitations. Many noted that reflection aided them take ownership of their work. Student (3) informed that he understands why he makes mistakes. He feels more in control of hiswriting decisions. Initially, students depend heavily on teacher-feedback, but recurring reflection empowers them to self-monitor, self-correct, and evaluate revisions. Another student(EG2-14) explained that it was difficult to decide which changes were necessary and reflection assisted him trust his analysis and examine his work thoroughly before submitting. Autonomy motivated experimentation with strategies, such as reorganizing paragraphs to strengthen arguments, with reflection guiding clarity.These results are inline with prior studies that demonstrate how reflective writing fosters higher-order thinking and development of metacognitive abilities that improve

writing performance. Abrouq's(2024) mixed-methods study on Moroccan EFL master's students found that reflective journal writing significantly improved students' reflective-thinking/engagement, leading to better processing of feedback and improved learning outcomes. This is consistent with our results, EG rearranged concepts, clarified arguments after reviewing, which is a vital sign of metacognitive processing that Abrouq identifies as significant to validity of reflective-writing. Research published by Abebe, Fekadu,Lemesa shows that reflection-supported learning enriches student’s writing attitudes, self-confidence, writing goal-orientations. It would help to explain why EG in our study not only improved more but also reported greater engagement with revision tasks. This research emphasises positive role of reflective-writing in fostering metacognitive/awareness, strategic/writing/behavior, and learner/autonomy. However, findings should be interpreted in light of several limitations. Reflective and self-regulated learning strategies arenot widely implemented in writing classrooms due to time constraints, curriculum pressure, limited teacher training, and assessment practices that prioritize products over processes. Additionally, teachers may lack institutional support or practical models for integrating reflection into regular instruction, which restricts broader adoption of these strategies. Abebe, S., Fekadu, B., & Lemesa, T.(2023).The effect of reflection supported learning of writing on students’ writing attitude and writing achievement goal orientations. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-023-00202-8 Abrouq, R. (2024).Reflective journal writing and EFL students’ metacognitive processing [Mixed-methods study, Moroccan EFL Master’s students]. Al-Kindi Publishers. Boud, D., Keogh, R., & Walker, D. (2013). Reflection: Turning experience into learning. Routledge. Carless, D., & Boud, D.(2018).The development of student feedback literacy:Enabling uptake of feedback. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 43(8), 1315–1325. Chen, Y (2020).The impact of reflective writing on EFL students’ essay organization and rhetorical awareness. Journal of Second Language Writing, 49, 100746. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2020.100746 Ferris, D.(2018).Feedback in second language writing: Contexts and issues. Routledge. Gemechu, T. C., Degago, A. T., Endashaw, A. A., & Tsegaye, A. G.(2025).The effects of reflective writing on EFL student teachers’ critical thinking: A quasi-experimental study. 12, Article 105. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-01234-5 Lee, I. (2017).Enhancing EFL learners’ feedback integration through reflective journal writing. System, 66, 80–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2017.04.008 Yang, M., Badger, R., & Yu, Z.(2006). A comparative study of peer and teacher feedback in a Chinese EFL writing class. Journal of Second Language Writing, 15(3),179–200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2006.09.004 Zimmerman, B. J.(2013). From cognitive modeling to self-regulation:A social cognitive career. Educational Psychologist, 48(3),135–145. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2013.794676