Relating Cognitive Activating Instruction and Metacognitive Self-Regulation to Mathematics Performance and Self-Efficacy: A Process Modelling

This study examined the mechanisms linking cognitively activating mathematics instruction to self-efficacy via metacognition. A sequential mediation model was tested whereby cognitive activating instruction measured via mathematical reasoning and mathematical argumentation was specified to predict metacognitive self-regulation, which in turn was estimated to predict mathematics performance and self-efficacy. The data of 6403 adolescents (49.76% females) from the Greek PISA 2022 were utilized. Latent variables were constructed from the student questionnaire items to capture cognitive activation, metacognitive self-regulation, and self-efficacy. Structural equation modelling showed that cognitive activation was positively associated with metacognitive self-regulation, which, in turn, was substantially associated with mathematics self-efficacy. Sequential mediation analysis indicated that cognitive activating instruction was also directly linked to mathematics self-efficacy and indirectly through mathematics performance, supporting the role of performance as a source of mastery experiences. In brief, the findings imply that engaging students with cognitively activating activities could potentially enhance metacognitive self-regulation skills which is a promising pathway for improving adolescents’ mathematics self-efficacy via the formation of mastery experiences in mathematics.