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Determinants of Student Achievement in Turkey

Author

Listed:
  • Gokce Uysal

    (Bahcesehir University Center for Economic and Social Research (Betam))

  • M. Alper Dincer

    (Bahcesehir University Center for Economic and Social Research (Betam))

Abstract

Recent achievement test results show that Turkish students have been performing poorly compared to students from other countries. Using data from the PISA 2006 survey, we aim to measure the determinants of student achievement in Turkey. We find that the program type the student is enrolled in affects student achievement significantly. However, this effect may partially be biased by past academic achievement. In line with the previous literature, our results also indicate that school resources have limited, if any, effect on student achievement. On the other hand, we find that socioeconomic background variables such as parental edu- cation, parental employment, household items, etc. of the student are major determinants of student achievement. Students coming from similar socioeconomic backgrounds enroll in similar schools. To measure possible effects, we use an index of socioeconomic background to calculate an average socioeconomic status within a given school. We find that this has an effect over and above the e®ects of the individual socioeconomic background factors and program types. Therefore, we conclude that any policy design has to take into account the large role of socioeconomic background in determining student outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Gokce Uysal & M. Alper Dincer, 2009. "Determinants of Student Achievement in Turkey," Working Papers 002, Bahcesehir University, Betam.
    • Handle: RePEc:bae:wpaper:002
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Sevtap Guler Gumus & Gary Wingenbach, 2016. "The Child Labor Problem in Turkish Agriculture: What Can We Do?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 127(3), pages 1193-1215, July.
    2. Tansel, Aysit, 2012. "Private Tutoring and the Question of Equitable Opportunities in Turkey," IZA Discussion Papers 6626, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Aysit Tansel, 2013. "Supplementary Education in Turkey: Recent Developments and Future Prospectss," Koç University-TUSIAD Economic Research Forum Working Papers 1319, Koc University-TUSIAD Economic Research Forum.
    4. Gevrek, Z. Eylem & Seiberlich, Ruben R., 2014. "Semiparametric decomposition of the gender achievement gap: An application for Turkey," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 27-44.
    5. Aysit Tansel, 2013. "Supplementary Education in Turkey: Recent Developments and Future Prospectss," Koç University-TUSIAD Economic Research Forum Working Papers 1319, Koc University-TUSIAD Economic Research Forum.
    6. Tansel, Aysit, 2012. "Private Tutoring and the Question of Equitable Opportunities in Turkey," IZA Discussion Papers 6626, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. Yuki, Takako & Kameyama, Yuriko, 2014. "Challenges of Quality of Learning Outcomes for Countries with the Unfinished Agenda of Universal Primary Education and Gender Parity: The Case of Yemen," Working Papers 73, JICA Research Institute.
    8. Sheikh Jamal Hossain & Fahmida Tofail & Hasan Mahmud Sujan & Shams El Arifeen & Jena Hamadani, 2021. "Factors associated with school achievement of children aged 8–10 years in rural Bangladesh: Findings from a post hoc analysis of a community-based study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(7), pages 1-13, July.
    9. Darya Dancaková & Jozef Glova & Alena Andrejovská, 2021. "The Robust Efficiency Estimation in Lower Secondary Education: Cross-Country Evidence," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 9(24), pages 1-15, December.
    10. Liu, Ting & Holmes, Kathryn & Albright, James, 2015. "Predictors of mathematics achievement of migrant children in Chinese urban schools: A comparative study," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 35-42.
    11. Amini, Chiara & Commander, Simon, 2011. "Educational Scores: How Does Russia Fare?," IZA Discussion Papers 6033, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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