Factors that influence student achievement at primary level education in Turkey at provincial level

Official URL: http://risc01.sabanciuniv.edu/record=b1606731 (Table of Contents)

Being a convenient technique in analyzing and evaluating educational policies of the states, education production functions have been approved and used by many scholars. Therefore, this study engages with that technique by referring to the existing literature in order to identify the reasons behind the high variance among provinces of Turkey, in student achievements. Primary level education is the main concern of this paper. An econometric analysis is applied by using data of identified variables, in relation to the student achievements. To provide a base for this application, the structure of Turkish education system is explained. In addition, a comparison of the education system of Turkey with other selected countries is provided. According to the results of the econometric analysis, this study finds out that multiple variables have been responsible for the variance in student achievement among provinces in Turkey. School enrollment rate, educational status of the families, class size, student teacher ratio, and variable regarding the Kurdish population have all influenced student achievement at primary level education. Nevertheless, variables on socio-economic status of the provinces and school resources including class size and student teacher ratio have been more influential. On the other hand, findings on public expenditure variable have led to an important conclusion. This study shows that the centralized educational policy of Turkey has not responded to the high variance problem in student achievement. In this respect, alternative education systems including a decentralized structure should be taken into consideration to provide a more efficient education to the citizens of the Turkey.