<b>Exploring</b><b> </b><b>EFL s</b><b>tudents’</b><b> </b><b>e</b><b>ffective </b><b>use of </b><b>GenAI in </b><b>w</b><b>riting:</b><b> </b><b>Interplay of self-regulation, critical thinking, growth mindsets, </b><b>general </b><b>writing competence</b><b>,</b><b> </b><b>and G</b><b>en</b><b>AI literacy</b>

Understanding individual factors influencing EFL students’ effective use of GenAI in writing is essential for advancing EFL writing instruction in the AI era. However, research in this area remains limited. This study introduces a research model that includes self-regulation, critical thinking, growth mindsets, GenAI literacy, and general writing competence to examine how students’ motivation, cognitive skills, technological literacy, and writing abilities impact GenAI-assisted writing. Data were collected from 342 first-year EFL students who completed a semester-long college English course integrating GenAI tools in writing, through questionnaires and two writing tasks. The proposed model was tested using PLS-SEM.