GENERATION STUDY OF PISA MATHS PROFICIENCY LEVELS IN TURKISH 6TH GRADE STUDENTS

Year 2017, Volume: 6 , 14 - 23, 04.08.2017

T. Oguz Basokcu , Simge Ceylan

Abstract

PISA
is an international exam which aims to assess whether 15-year-old students are
able to convert their academic outcomes into solving daily life issues as well
as analyzing high level cognitive skills. PISA evaluates the outcomes through
item-based skills classification constituted by IRT technique with the help of
the samples gathered from each participant country. Skill classification is a
grouping process which helps to interpret the proficiency of students at
different points in accordance with the ranges described for each level. For
the Maths proficiency level of classes gathered by this process increasing from
1 to 6 hierarchically: the ability to give the correct answer at Level 1 only
when all related information is presented and questions are clearly explained
is recognized, whereas it is more frequent to recognize the correct answer at
Level 6 in which high level cognitive skills are used, necessary knowledge is
organized and interpreted to solve the problem. Of all the OECD countries,
15.8% of China and 10% of Japan are at Level 1, which is 52% for Turkey. An
experimental study is being pursued in an attempt to enhance the Maths literacy
success of 6^th grades by increasing the number of implementations in
large-scale international exams with TUBITAK Research Project numbered 115K531.
About 3200 students are included within the project as a longitudinal study.
The equivalence of the tests to that of PISA has been assured. At this point,
the study aims to determine whether the classifications made for PISA Turkey
similarly range also in the younger age group, as well as aiming to find out
whether the origin of the distinction between Turkey and other OECD countries
in the higher levels begins at an earlier age. In Izmir province, 6^th
grade students who were determined randomly by the stratification method were
subjected to tests that required multiple levels of thinking and represented 6^th
grade Maths subjects through test items in the form of multiple choice,
true-false and open-ended. Plausible scores appropriate for PISA procedures and
the cut points determined by using those scores and PISA standards were
designated and proficiency levels were obtained. The proficiency levels of 6^th
grade students in the sample were specified with the help of this method. When
the results of the study are analyzed in detail, it is clearly seen that the
percentages described in the PISA 2015 Report show a similar distribution
across the classrooms.

Keywords

Maths proficiency, PISA, rasch model

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