Relationship between metacognition and adaptive instruction in primary teachers: The mediating role of informal teacher learning

Abstract

Adaptive instruction is strongly required in today’s increasingly diverse classrooms. However, empirical studies exploring the mechanism of adaptive instruction remain scant. This study contributes to the literature by investigating the critical roles of teacher metacognition and informal teacher learning (ITL) in teachers’ adaptive instruction. Based on 5,056 survey responses from primary teachers in China, the results of the structural equation modeling and bootstrapping analysis reveal that teacher metacognition had a strong positive association with adaptive instruction. Three ITL activities, namely, learning through interaction with colleagues, learning through interaction with students, and reflection on teaching, mediated the association between the variables. This study discusses more practical implications for educators.