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

This study examined the processes linking cognitively activating mathematics instruction to self-efficacy via metacognitive self-regulation. A sequential mediation model was tested whereby cognitive-activating instruction operationalised as mathematical argumentation was specified as being associated with metacognitive self-regulation, which, in turn, was estimated to be associated with mathematics performance and mathematics self-efficacy. Data from 6403 adolescents (49.76% females) from Greece’s PISA 2022 dataset were utilised. 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 positively 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 in cognitively activating activities is associated with better metacognitive self-regulation skills and higher mathematics self-efficacy, partly through mathematics performance, which is consistent with the mastery-experiences account.