The relationship between parental autonomy support and adolescents’ academic achievement in mathematics—the mediating role of the need for cognition and mathematics metacognition

This study aimed to explore the relationship between parental autonomy support and adolescents’ academic performance in mathematics and to examine the mediating roles of the need for cognition and mathematical metacognition in this relationship. A total of 1,268 secondary school students from Grades 7 to 10 completed the survey questionnaires. The findings revealed two key points: (1) there was a small but significant positive correlation between parental autonomy support and mathematics academic achievement across the entire sample (r = 0.09, p < 0.01), with the correlation being highest in Grade 9 (r = 0.19, p < 0.01); and (2) parental autonomy support influenced academic achievement in mathematics through the mediation of the need for cognition and mathematical metacognition, with a total effect size of 0.13.