Abstract:

The aim of this study was to analyse some of the variables that affect Turkish students’ success in science using data from the PISA 2009 student survey. The universe for the investigation comprised 15-year-old Turkish students who were completing their compulsory education. The sample consisted of 4996 students who were selected through stratified sampling from this universe. Missing data were examined before analysis commenced and missing data were excluded from the analysis. The final sample comprised 4388 students. Independent t-tests, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple comparisons were used in accordance with the purpose of the study. The results showed that there was a significant difference between students’ success in science and a number of variables, namely, gender, school type, region, pre-school education, parents' education level.

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