A Logistic Regression Analysis of Turkey’s 15-yearolds’ Scoring above the OECD Average on the PISA’09 Reading Assessment

Abstract

AbstractThis study aims to investigate which factors are associated with Turkey's 15-year-olds' scoring above the OECD average (493) on the PISA'09 reading assessment. Collected from a total of 4,996 15-year-old students from Turkey, data were analyzed by logistic regression analysis in order to model the data of students who were split into two: (1) those students who scored above the OECD average of 493 points on the PISA'09 reading assessment, and (2) those who scored below the average. Specifically, the results indicated that gender, age when first entering school, mother's level of education, the number of books present at home, students' attitudes toward reading, and the amount of time spent learning the test's language (Turkish) per week were those factors found to predict the probability of students' scoring above the OECD average (493) on the PISA'09 reading assessment. The findings of this study contribute to the existing literature within this field by identifying which sources play a role in 15-year-olds' success on the PISA'09 reading assessment in Turkey.Key WordsLogistic Regression, PISA'09, Reading Assessment, Reading Performance, 15-year-olds of Turkey.Worldwide, the effectiveness of education systems has aroused the interest of scholars within the field of education. Most countries receive feedback on how well their education systems prepare students for life (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development [OECD], 2009a). The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), triennially organized by the OECD since 2000, has been one of the most significant means which covers reading, mathematics, and science necessary for learners to solve real-life problems and to be prepared for real-life (Cobanoglu & Kasapoglu, 2010). As the major focus of the PISA'09 assessment is on reading literacy (OECD, 2009a), the following section provides an overview of reading literacy.Reading literacy is defined as one's ability to understand, use, reflect on, and engage with written texts. It has been assessed in relation to text format, reading processes (aspects), and situations (OECD, 2009a). In order to assess text format, students' reading literacy is measured by taking into account the range of written material that students will encounter in their later lives, such as forms, application letters, advertisements, among others, by means of both continuous (narration, exposition, and argumentation) and non-continuous texts (lists, forms, graphs, or diagrams). Regarding reading processes, also known as aspects, students are assessed on whether they are able to display proficiency in accessing and retrieving knowledge, in their ability to form a broad understanding of the text, in interpreting it, and in reflecting on its contents, form, and features. Situations, which are defined by the actual use for which a specific text has been constructed, are clustered under four groups: (1) personal (e.g., a novel or a biography); (2) public ( e.g., official documents or announcements); (3) occupational (e.g., a manual or a report); and (4) educational (e.g., a textbook or a worksheet). Since some students may perform better in one of the four groups, it is desirable to include a range of reading situations in the items to be measured (OECD, 2009a).Regarding the results of the PISA'09 reading assessment, Turkey (464) scored below the OECD average (493) and ranked 41st among the 65 participant countries (OECD, 2010). Although Turkey scored higher in the PISA'09 reading assessment than it did in the PISA'03 reading assessment, Turkey has remained in the same level (Level 2) since 2003 (Turkish Foundation of Economic Policy Research, 2010).Factors Affecting Reading Literacy/PerformanceWithin the field of education research, the possible reasons behind or the factors related to reading performance have been studied. A review of related international literature provides a great deal of insight into the factors that affect reading performance. …