Chinese EFL Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices after Implementing an Emotional Scaffolding-Integrated Writing Module: A Qualitative Multiple-Case Study

Abstract

Recent trends in EFL writing instruction have shown a shift from purely cognitive approaches to pedagogies that integrate emotional support into teaching and learning. However, little is known about how a GBA–ES-integrated writing module may reshape Chinese EFL teachers’ beliefs and practices. The study examined how teachers’ beliefs and practices shifted following the implementation of a genre-based approach and emotional scaffolding (GBA–ES) writing module. Adopting a qualitative multiple-case study design, the research drew on three sources of data: semi-structured interviews (pre- and post- implementation), classroom observations, and teachers’ reflective journals. Data were collected from four Chinese EFL teachers over a six-week implementation period and analysed thematically across the three data sources. The analysis suggests that the teachers came to recognize emotional scaffolding as pedagogically valuable and developed more integrated beliefs about genre-based writing instruction and emotional support. They also came to see themselves more as emotional facilitators and enacted more explicit genre-cycle practices, emotionally supportive strategies, and adaptive reflective teaching. These findings contribute to a better understanding of teacher emotional support in EFL writing instruction and offer implications for teacher development and emotionally responsive pedagogy.