An Assessment of Factors Related to Science Achievement of Turkish Students

Abstract

In this study, a hypothesised model with latent variables such as socio‐economic status, students’ perception of success and interest in different subject matter areas, out‐of‐school activities, and classroom teaching learning activities in relation to science achievement of the students was tested via linear structural modelling. The data come from the Student Assessment Program—2002 conducted by the Ministry of National Education in Turkey. The results obtained in a sample of 29,911 students indicated that there were positive relationships between the socio‐economic status of the students and teacher‐centred activities in the classroom with science achievement. On the other hand, student‐centred activities did not contribute to explain achievement measures positively. There is a need to scrutinise the quality of student‐centred activities in Turkey.