How Does Social-Affective Strategies Influence Other Strategies in Academic Writing?

Academic writing is a multifaceted process that requires students to engage with various cognitive, metacognitive, and social-affective strategies. While much emphasis has been placed on individual strategies, there is a growing interest in how these strategies interact with one another, particularly the influence of social-affective strategies. This study aims to investigate the relationship between social-affective strategies and other writing strategies (metacognitive, cognitive, and effort regulation) among Malaysian university students. Employing a quantitative approach, data were collected via an adapted Writing Strategy Inventory from 42 undergraduate and postgraduate students across various disciplines. The instrument, which consists of four main sections, was measured for internal consistency using Cronbach’s Alpha. Findings revealed notable patterns in how students perceive and apply social-affective strategies in conjunction with other strategies during academic writing tasks. The study offers insight into the dynamic interplay of writing strategies and highlights the importance of social interaction, emotional regulation, and strategic thinking in shaping successful writing outcomes. Future research should explore how social-affective strategies interact with other writing strategies across varied tasks and learners, ideally through mixed-methods or longitudinal studies for deeper insight.