Vol. 7, Issue 2, Part H (2025)

While peer feedback is widely recognized as a beneficial practice in second language writing, how high school students of different English proficiency levels engage with it remains underexplored. This study investigates the differential patterns of behavioral, cognitive, and affective engagement in peer feedback among three Chinese high school students representing high, intermediate, and low proficiency levels. Adopting a multiple-case study design, data were collected over one semester, including students’ writing drafts, peer feedback texts, stimulated recall interviews, and semi-structured interviews. The analysis, framed within a three-dimensional engagement model, revealed distinct profiles: the high-proficiency student demonstrated self-regulated engagement, driven by metacognitive challenge; the intermediate-proficiency student exhibited pragmatic engagement, strategically filtering feedback for utility; and the low-proficiency student displayed a dependent yet active profile, characterized by high behavioral initiative and positive affect that were often undermined by limited cognitive resources. A key finding challenges the common assumption that lower proficiency equates to lower engagement; instead, it highlights a disconnect between students’ willingness to engage and their capacity to process feedback effectively. The study concludes by advocating for differentiated instructional support in peer feedback activities to cater to the distinct engagement needs of learners across proficiency levels.