Why does feedback work? Unpacking the serial mediation of emotion regulation and discourse skills in mathematics

Introduction Cultivating mathematical higher-order thinking is a paramount pedagogical objective. While student feedback literacy has gained attention, its longitudinal mechanisms on complex cognitive outcomes remain underexplored. This study investigates the sequential mediating roles of emotion and motivation self-regulation and mathematics discourse feedback skills in the relationship between feedback literacy behavior and mathematical higher-order thinking. Methods A three-wave longitudinal design with a 3-month interval was employed. A total of 1,795 Chinese high school students completed surveys assessing feedback literacy behavior at Time 1, emotion and motivation self-regulation at Time 2, and mathematics discourse feedback skills alongside mathematical higher-order thinking at Time 3. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling, controlling for autoregressive effects. Results Feedback literacy behavior at Time 1 was significantly and positively associated with mathematical higher-order thinking at Time 3. Both emotion and motivation self-regulation and mathematics discourse feedback skills independently mediated this relationship. Furthermore, the serial mediation pathway was significant: feedback literacy behavior enhanced emotion and motivation self-regulation, which subsequently fostered mathematics discourse feedback skills, which were concurrently associated with mathematical higher-order thinking. Discussion Feedback literacy behavior acts as a developmental catalyst for cognitive restructuring. This trajectory is sequentially mediated by intra-individual psychological regulation and interpersonal social interaction. Educators should transcend traditional corrective feedback by actively cultivating feedback literacy and facilitating dialogic feedback environments.