The analysing the relevance of TEOG exams to academic achievements of eighth grade students nd the effects of teog exams on teaching process of math class

This research has been done for the purpose of analysing the relevance of TEOG exams to academic achievements of 8th grade students and the effects of TEOG exams on teaching process of math class.The population of the study, consisted of 8th grade students and their maths teachers in all public and private secondary schools in province of Mersin in 2013-2014 academic year. Research sample consisted of 869 8th grade students and 17 teachers who teach math to those students in 5 public and 3 private schools in Silifke district of Mersin. Research sample have been determined using simple random sampling among random sampling methods. The study was based on a survey model and mixed method research that qualitative and quantitative methods were used together. Quantitative data of the research was obtained from academic records of e-school system and descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test, Pearson Product Moment Correlation were used for the analysis of the data. In the interviews, semi-structured interview forms reformed by the researcher were used and themes and codes were created by being completed content analysis of data obtained through interviews. According to the findings obtained from quantitative part of the research; in TEOG achievements of the students in Math, a statistically significant difference in relation to genders didn't observed between male and female students but according to school types, a significant difference was observed in favor of private schools. Academic achievements of the students in Math, showed a significant difference in favor of female students and private schools. Also, a statistically significant high correlation in a positive way was found out between students' TEOG achievements and their academic achievements. According to the findings obtained from qualitative part of the research; teachers participating in interviews, evaluate TEOG exam questions as easier and more undiscerned than they are supposed to be. Coverage of questions to educational attainments is enough according to the teachers. Teachers pay more attention to convenience of questions to the students' levels than others while preparing exam questions. Teachers pay attention to use different kinds of question, ask discerner questions and have questions in different difficulty levels. Students' TEOG achievements are deem compatible with their academic achievements by teachers. According to teachers, education given in schools is enough to be successful in TEOG exams. According to interviewed teachers, to minimize the difference of readiness among students and to categorize them up to their academic levels are a must for an efficient math teaching. Also, educational attainments in the instructional plan of eight grade math lesson must be reduced. Keywords: Eighth grade students, TEOG, academic achievement, teaching process.