The effect of school and student characteristics on reading achievement: The case of Turkey and the Netherlands (PISA 2022)

In this study, school and student-level variables affecting reading achievement of students in Turkey and the Netherlands were examined using PISA 2022 data. The study examined six independent variables: socioeconomic level, gender, teacher-student ratio, number of books at home, school size, and school type. The effect of each variable on students' PISA reading scores was tested separately for both countries using multiple linear regression analysis. Then, how these effects differed between countries was evaluated comparatively through the regression coefficients obtained. The findings revealed that the number of books at home was the variable that most strongly affected reading achievement in both countries. The variables of socioeconomic level and teacher-student ratio were found to have positive and significant effects on reading achievement in both countries. While school size had a significant positive effect only in the Netherlands, it did not have a significant effect in Turkey. When evaluated in terms of gender, a significant difference in reading achievement was found in favor of female students in both countries, while a small but statistically significant negative effect was found against male students. While the school type variable reveals the negative effect of private schools in Turkey, only the positive effect of state-supported private schools was observed in the Netherlands. As a result, the effects of the examined variables on reading achievement showed similarities and differences between countries. The results obtained are presented comparatively for the two countries.