It counts in every single lesson: Between- and within-person associations of teaching quality and student self-regulation

Background The significant influence that classroom interactions have on the development of students' self-regulation has been acknowledged for a long time. Nonetheless, past research has emphasised their impact on differences in self-regulation amongst students, without considering intra-individual variations. Aims We examined whether there is a link between average and lesson-level student-perceived teaching quality, which includes student support, classroom management and cognitive activation, and student self-regulation in individual lessons. Moreover, we investigated whether the magnitude of the associations depended on students' dispositional self-regulation. Sample We analysed data collected from 61 students (recruited sample N = 64 students; Mage = 11.71, SDage = 0.93). Methods Participants completed a baseline questionnaire (demographics, dispositional self-regulation) as well as 15 daily diaries in which they reported on their own self-regulation and the perceived quality of teaching in the last lesson of the day. Results The findings revealed positive associations between student support and classroom management, both at the average and lesson level, and student self-regulation in individual lessons. No associations were found between the average and lesson level cognitive activation and students' self-regulation in individual lessons. The aforementioned associations were not moderated by students' dispositional self-regulation. Conclusions The findings emphasise the importance of student-perceived teaching quality at both the average and lesson-level for student self-regulation in individual lessons.