Investigation of the effect of some student variables on the success of science literacy and reading skills in the PISA 2015 practice of Turkey

This study was conducted by using data of Turkish students from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2015. The difference between success points of reading skills and science literacy achievement scores of students who participated in PISA practice were treated as a dependent variable. Effect of mathematics literacy score, weekly science lesson hours, cooperation and teamwork, teacher fairness, scientific activity, weekly out-of-school study, interest in wide science subjects, sense of belonging to school, effects of student attitudes, motivation tendencies and repetition were investigated as explanatory variables. Using the relational screening model, which is a branch of the general screening model, the achievement scores of the students from cognitive tests and the variables that are thought to give meaningful results from the students' questionnaire were selected and transferred to the appropriate analysis program. Stratified random method was used to select schools and students. In this study, 925.366 students stated the accessible universe to 15-year-old students and it was determined that the student sample was 5,895. These data were analyzed using Quantile Regression technique which is an effective method, used to determine the mathematical linear expression between dependent and independent variables. While the dependent variable was obtained, the average science literacy and reading skills score of each student was calculated and a new score was obtained by subtracting the Reading score from the Science score. The scores obtained were divided into 3 different quantile ranges, the 0.9 quantile range showed students whose Science literacy score was higher than the Reading skills score, while 0.5 quantile indicated that the Science and Reading scores of the students were equal or close to equal. Finally, 0.1 quantile represented students whose reading skills score was higher than their Science literacy score. According to the results of the study, weekly science lesson time variable in the 0.9 quantile interval and weekly out-of-school study time variable in the 0.5 and 0.9 quantile intervals were found to be statistically insignificant (t ≥ 1.96 and p ≥ 0.05).