A Study on the Reading Achievement of Turkish Students Participating in Pisa 2018 in the Context of Democracy, Democratic Education and Equality


Kara Ö. T., Aytan T., Demir İ., Günaydın Y.

SAGE OPEN, no.-, 2024 (SSCI)

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Publication Date: 2024
  • Doi Number: 10.1177/21582440231225031
  • Journal Name: SAGE OPEN
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Directory of Open Access Journals
  • Çukurova University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

The concept that all individuals are born equal and can equally benefit from human rights has established the basis for democracy. The principle that democracy doesn’t discriminate based on race, nationality, or gender, and supports harmony, peace, and social engagement by incorporating personal freedoms and skills, has paved the way for the creation of a democratic educational system in developed and developing societies. Within the context of democratic education, it is important that attributes such as being male or female, wealthy or poor, disabled or healthy, do not assume a determining role. In other words, this educational approach stands against gender and economic inequalities. Additionally, democratic education does not hinder the encouragement and improvement of personal talents; rather, it reinforces them. Indeed, both national and international institutions and organizations have been founded with the aim of supporting, improving, and assessing this educational process in many domains. Their role is to determine shortcomings and suggest solutions. One of the essential projects conducted by these organizations is the PISA project. The primary purpose of the PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) project is to establish and sustain a secure and democratic educational environment, in which students can enhance their own development and consequently raise their voices freely within both the classroom and society. This study particularly focused on the skill of reading, one of the significant subjects of the PISA project. The objective was to determine the variables influencing the reading achievements of Turkish students who participated in the PISA 2018 project. For this purpose, data collected from 6890 Turkish students who participated in PISA 2018 were used, with a twolevel hierarchical model used for analysis. Through these analyses, it was established that elements such as social gender norms, democracy, economic factors, socio-cultural status (ESCS), home possessions, use of metacognitive strategies, the perceived classroom discipline climate by the students, and the perceived teacher support by the students were found effective on the student’s reading performance. On a school-based level, the variables of school type (private-public), school program type, and school location were observed to influence the effectiveness of reading achievement. The obtained findings have been thoroughly discussed and proposed some recommendations for researchers, policymakers, representatives of democracy, and practitioners.