The impact of teacher feedback on medical students' self-regulated learning: a serial mediation model of teacher-student interaction and sense of school belonging.

Background: Self-regulated learning is crucial for medical students because of the rigorous and dynamic nature of medical education. Previous studies have demonstrated the positive influence of teacher feedback on students' self-regulated learning, particularly in basic education contexts. However, research exploring the mechanisms through which teacher feedback affects self-regulated learning among medical students in higher education contexts remains limited. This study aims to investigate the impact of teacher feedback on medical students' self-regulated learning, with a focus on the mediation roles of teacher-student interaction and sense of school belonging.

Methods: Data were collected from a comprehensive survey of undergraduates at H University, a prestigious research-oriented institution in China. The sample included 6,546 medical students spanning five academic years (2014, 2016, 2018, 2021, and 2023). The Student Survey of Learning and Development questionnaire was utilized to collect data, and teacher feedback, teacher-student interaction, sense of school belonging, and self-regulated learning were chosen as variables in this study. Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the relationships among these variables, with mediation and serial mediation effects assessed via the bootstrap method.

Results: Teacher feedback significantly predicted medical students' self-regulated learning (β = 0.136, p < 0.001). Teacher-student interaction (β = 0.377, p < 0.001) and sense of school belonging (β = 0.325, p < 0.001) were found to mediate the relationship between teacher feedback and self-regulated learning. The mediation effects, with effect sizes of 0.116 for teacher-student interaction and 0.045 for sense of school belonging, accounted for 37.91% and 14.71% of the total effect, respectively. Additionally, there was a serial mediation model between teacher feedback and self-regulated learning that had a value of 0.009, accounting for 2.94% of the total effect.

Conclusion: This study provides empirical evidence supporting the role of teacher feedback in promoting medical students' self-regulated learning, with teacher-student interaction and sense of school belonging serving as important mediating factors. These findings have implications for designing effective educational interventions to cultivate self-regulated learners capable of adapting to the rapidly evolving landscape of medical knowledge and practice.