Abstract
This study examines changes in preservice English teachers’ writing demotivation (WD) and writing self-efficacy (WSE) beliefs within an English as a foreign language (EFL) context following a 14-week genre-based writing intervention. Grounded in Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), the study adopts a concurrent mixed-methods design. Data were collected from preservice English teachers (N = 45) through pre- and post-test surveys, rubric-based evaluations of genre-specific writing tasks, semi-structured focus-group interviews and written reflections. Quantitative analysis revealed statistically significant pre–post differences in overall WD and WSE, alongside a consistent negative association between the two constructs. Further analysis indicated significant changes in participants’ writing performance across genre-based writing tasks. Additional analyses suggested shifts in the relative contribution of specific demotivation subdimensions to overall self-efficacy beliefs over time. Qualitative findings provided insights into participants’ experiences of the intervention, highlighting the role of explicit genre instruction, a structured writing process and feedback practices in shaping their writing-related beliefs. Despite the significant improvements, participants continued to identify systemic constraints within the broader teaching and learning context, pointing to limitations beyond classroom-level instruction. The findings suggest that genre-based writing instruction may offer a productive pedagogical space for supporting preservice teachers’ writing motivation and confidence. The study contributes context-sensitive insights into affective and performance-related dimensions of writing pedagogy in EFL teacher education.