Reciprocal relationship between self-regulated learning and mathematics achievement: A multilevel cross-lagged path analysis

Self-regulated learning is of great importance to academic achievement. Guided by social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986), this study aims to explore the reciprocal relationships between mathematics achievement and three subprocesses of Hong Kong primary school students’ self-regulated learning, namely, planning, monitoring and adaptive self-reaction. The sample comprised 2,972 (1,608 female and 1,364 male) primary school students in Hong Kong. Two waves of data, separated by one academic year, were collected. Multilevel cross-lagged path analysis found that adaptive self-reaction was the only statistically significant predictor of mathematics achievement when statistically controlling for prior mathematics achievement, while mathematics achievement was a statistically significant predictor of monitoring and adaptive self-reaction, but not of planning. Furthermore, planning, monitoring and adaptive self-reaction are statistically significant predictors of each other. The study provided initial empirical evidence in support of a dynamic interaction between the sub processes of self-regulated learning and mathematics achievement.