Analysis of Student and School Level Variables Related to Mathematics Self-Efficacy Level Based on PISA 2012 Results for China-Shanghai, Turkey, and Greece

Abstract

(ProQuest: ... denotes formulae omitted.)In today's globalized world, the notion of development has come to be contextualized in terms of such basic indicators as human capital, education, health, living standards, poverty, and equality, and to be evaluated using human development as its criterion (Firat & Aydin, 2015). Since education and skills are among the criteria used to identify living index - itself an indicator of development - these two variables constitute two of the basic criteria used to determine whether individuals have or have not achieved better living conditions. More specifically, educated individuals are more likely to attain better working conditions and higher income, on the one hand, and to be involved in a variety of non-economic activities, on the other. In this respect, it may be argued that the one's education level is directly related to his state of material well-being and that higher educational level leads to increased material well-being (Durand & Smith, 2013 as cited in Firat & Aydin, 2015). In order to increase their overall level of development and to achieve a higher life index, developing countries in particular attach special attention to education. Developing countries need large-scale test results to shape their educational policies and to improve their education system. In this regard, PISA, TIMMS, and PIRLS are examples of such exams applied at the international level that are used to measure and compare students' achievements in different countries.Organized at three-year intervals by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) (EARGED, 2010), PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) is just one examination aimed at the assessment of knowledge and skills acquired by 15 year old students. and Rather than measuring to what extent 15 year old students receiving formal education following compulsory education curriculums have learned the subjects (mathematical literacy, science literacy, and reading skills) dealt with in the curriculum, the PISA project aims to measure students' efficacy in making use of their acquired skills and knowledge in situations encountered in real life. The fundamental characteristic that distinguishes the PISA project from other projects is that it not only analyzes individuals' cognitive attributes, but also analyzes the affective factors relating to school and student characteristics.It is quite important to identify to what extent such skills as mathematical literacy, science literacy, and reading skills are used in real life situations, as dealt with by the PISA project. The utilization of information learned at school in real life situations is an indicator of the fact that such information has not only been memorized, but internalized. Mathematical literacy, one of the areas that PISA measures, is the cognitive dimension that includes skills with which students in today's society should be equipped. Since many of the skills used in daily life, including counting, telling time, making payments while shopping, weighing and measuring, and graph reading, are related to mathematical concepts, it is only logical to say that mathematics is intertwined with real life and that it is a strength for one to know mathematics (I§ik, Ciltac, & Bekdemir, 2008). This is because mathematics is important for individuals and societies in order not only to develop scientific thinking skills in line with living conditions, but also to apply such skills in their relevant areas. Beyond the skills related to one's ability to perform mathematical operations, the PISA project emphasizes the ability to use mathematics in daily life skills based on analysis, reasoning, effective transmission of ideas, problem-solving in different situations, essaying, and interpretation.It is important to examine the factors affecting literacy skills related to mathematics, which although occupy such a significant space in individuals' daily lives, are at the same time disliked, feared, and lead to anxiety. …