The examination of the relationship between middle school students' reading comprehension skills and problem-solving success

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between Turkish reading comprehension skills and decimal notation problem-solving achievements among sixth-grade middle school students. This research was conducted in the 2022-2023 academic year at a public school in Kepez district, Antalya. The sample group consists of 76 sixth-grade middle school students selected through convenience sampling. The research model is defined as a correlational survey design. During the application process, achievement tests and a questionnaire regarding students' personal information were administered. The data for this study were obtained from the Decimal Notation Problem-Solving Achievement Test, the Turkish Reading Comprehension Achievement Test, and students' Turkish and mathematics course grades at the end of the first semester of sixth grade. The collected data were analyzed by the researcher. Pearson and Spearman correlation, simple linear regression, Chi-square test, logistic regression, multiple logistic regression, multiple linear regression tests, t-tests, Baron and Kenny mediation test, Bootstrap regression test, and decision tree were used for data analysis. According to the findings, there is a moderate positive linear significant relationship between students' reading comprehension skills and their problem-solving achievement. Students' reading comprehension skills significantly and positively predict their success in solving problems with decimal notation. It is observed that the questions on the Turkish Reading Comprehension Achievement Test regarding analyzing information, critical thinking, and identifying the main topic positively predict students' problem-solving achievements based on the criterion of being above or below average.