Equity in the Turkish education system: A multilevel analysis of social background influences on the mathematics performance of 15-year-old students

Download
2016-03-01
ÖZDEMİR, CANER
This paper aims to discover the level of equity in the Turkish education system using maths outcomes of 15-year-old students in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) exam. In order to do that, associations between various social background variables and student performance are analysed via multilevel models. Female pupils, students from lower socio-economic backgrounds and students from eastern regions are all found to be disadvantaged in terms of maths outcomes. The biggest gap between students in Turkey is due to school types. The difference between selective academic schools and other types of schools is more than 100 points, which is equal to the difference between almost four grade years. However, the positive effect of attending selective academic schools is smaller for girls. Further investigations indicate that, in the Turkish education system, school type at secondary level represents the effects of socio-economic background and educational and physical resources at school in addition to previous achievements of pupils. Results of the analyses show that it is very hard to claim that the education system in Turkey is operating in a way that mitigates existing inequalities in the society. To the contrary, there are indications that the Turkish education system itself reproduces inequalities.
EUROPEAN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH JOURNAL

Suggestions

Teacher candidates' reflections on some components of a pre-service English teacher education programme in Turkey
Seferoğlu, Gölge (Informa UK Limited, 2006-11-01)
This study aimed to explore teacher candidates' reflections on the methodology and practice components of a pre‐service English teacher training programme in Turkey. For this purpose, a qualitative case study method was followed. The participants were 176 senior year students at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey. The data were analysed by seeking patterns and themes in relation to each research question. The participants believed that a close connection between the course materials and ...
Evaluation of an english language teaching program at A Public University using CIPP model
Tunç, Ferda; Engin Demir, Cennet; Department of Educational Sciences (2010)
This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Ankara University Preparatory School program through the perspectives of instructors and students. To this end, the CIPP (context, input, process, and product) evaluation model developed by Stufflebeam (1971) was utilized. 406 students attending the preparatory school in the 2008-2009 academic year and 12 instructors teaching in the program participated in the study. The data were gathered through a self-reported student questionnaire and an interview schedu...
Student Assessment in High School Social Studies Courses in Turkey Teachers and Students Perceptions
Yıldırım, Ali (Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2004-01-01)
This study investigates the assessment strategies used in social-studies courses at the high-school level in Turkey and examines how teachers and students perceive them. Results indicate that short-answer tests are most frequently used to assess student performance, followed by oral tests. Multiple-choice and essay tests are also occasionally employed. Teachers tend to be satisfied with these assessment strategies, but suggest that alternative modes of assessment should also be considered. Students do not f...
Investigation of the change in sixth grade students’ problem solving abilities, attitude towards problem solving and attitude toward mathematics after mathematics instruction based on polya’s problem solving steps
Yıldız, Veysel; Işıksal Bostan, Mine; Department of Educational Sciences (2008)
Teaching mathematics is now gaining more importance, as the new elementary mathematics school curriculum has been adapted to Turkish Educational System. One of the main goals of the curriculum reform is to increase elementary school students’ problem solving abilities in mathematics (Koç, Işıksal & Bulut; 2007). In this study, the aim is to investigate the change in sixth grade students’ problem solving abilities, attitude towards problem solving and attitude toward mathematics after mathematics instruction...
Modelling pre-service science teachers' pro-environmental behaviours in relation to psychological and cognitive variables
Şahin, Elvan; Öztekin, Ceren (Informa UK Limited, 2020-08-01)
Grounded in large-scale studies, this research further investigates the nature of pro-environmental behaviours and related factors by selecting a nation-wide sample of Turkish pre-service science teachers as educators of future generations. We examined the relationships between pro-environmental behaviours and psychological and cognitive variables by evaluating the proposed theoretical model through path analysis. Data were collected from 1497 pre-service science teachers using environmental future scale, b...
Citation Formats
C. ÖZDEMİR, “Equity in the Turkish education system: A multilevel analysis of social background influences on the mathematics performance of 15-year-old students,” EUROPEAN EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH JOURNAL, pp. 193–217, 2016, Accessed: 00, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://hdl.handle.net/11511/63961.