Teacher Feedback and Students’ Self-regulated Learning in Mathematics: A Study of Chinese Secondary Students

This study comprehensively investigated how different types of teacher feedback may influence students’ self-regulated learning (SRL) in mathematics. A total of 584 Chinese secondary students participated in this study. Findings showed that teachers provided verification feedback and scaffolding feedback with a high frequency, and provided directive feedback, praise, and criticism with a moderate frequency. Students reported a generally moderate level of SRL in mathematics learning. Male students reported generally higher levels of motivation and more use of cognitive strategies than female students. Results of structural equation modelling indicated that scaffolding feedback and praise predicted students’ improved SRL behaviours. By contrast, verification feedback and directive feedback predicted a reduction in students’ use of organizational strategies but a slight increase in their metacognitive awareness. Criticism predicted students’ increased test anxiety but, unexpectedly, had no predicative power of other presumably possible negative effects on students’ SRL behaviours. Implications for mathematics teachers to develop students’ SRL via feedback are provided and suggestions for future research are discussed.