Communication skills and teacher immediacy effects on mathematical cognitive abilities among elementary educators in Indonesia and Malaysia

This study investigates the interaction between communication skills, teacher immediacy, and mathematical cognitive abilities of elementary school teachers in Indonesia and Malaysia using a multivariate analysis approach. The research involved 235 teachers, utilizing online questionnaires to measure these variables. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) validated the constructs, showing strong construct validity (Teacher Communication Skills: CFI = 0.924, TLI = 0.912, RMSEA = 0.060, SRMR = 0.049; Teacher Immediacy: CFI = 0.935, TLI = 0.924, RMSEA = 0.058, SRMR = 0.052; Teacher Cognitive in Math: CFI = 1.000, TLI = 0.951, RMSEA = 0.000, SRMR = 0.045). Linear regression analysis indicated that communication skills significantly influence mathematical cognitive abilities (F = 1698.101, p< .001). Mediation analysis revealed that teacher immediacy partially mediates this relationship (communication skills to teacher immediacy: coeff = 0.5548, p< .001; teacher immediacy to cognitive skills: coeff = 0.0602, p = .0073). Moderation analysis showed that teacher immediacy significantly moderates the influence of communication skills on cognitive abilities, with a small negative interaction effect (coeff = − 0.0020, p< .001), indicating that the positive effect of communication skills on cognitive abilities weakens slightly as teacher immediacy increases. Among the covariates, educational level (p = .03) and institutional origin (p = .04) significantly moderated this relationship, whereas gender did not (p = .12). Notably, teachers with a Bachelor’s degree showed slightly higher mean cognitive scores than those with a Master’s degree, highlighting the need for careful interpretation of educational background effects. The findings underscore the importance of developing communication skills and considering institutional context in enhancing teaching practices. This study provides practical insights for teachers and policymakers to optimize teaching strategies through effective communication and supportive learning environments.