TURKEY’S POSITION IN EDUCATION WITHIN THE SCOPE OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ASSESSMENT PROGRAMS

Abstract

Education is one of the leading sociological institutions in terms of the development, welfare and continuity of the whole society, especially the individual. Individuals who develop and acquire professions through education can thus benefit the society. One of the most important elements of education is quality. The problem of quality in education has been discussed in different dimensions for many years and remains topical today. Especially with the rise of modernization and technology, new models have been implemented in education and these sociological phenomena have directly affected the quality of education. The phenomenon of quality education has also become one of the 17 goals in the “Sustainable Development Goals” adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a global call to action. This goal emphasizes the integration of quality technical and vocational education into lifelong learning. In this study, the quality of education is analyzed in parallel with the data in the international applications of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) reports. While TIMSS, as the name suggests, is a study based on 4th and 8th grade students that measures Mathematics and Science trends, PISA measures students' ability to use the knowledge and skills they have learned at school in daily life in a more comprehensive way and also includes reading skills. While PISA reports are prepared with data from 81 countries, 37 of which are OECD countries, 58 countries participated in the TIMSS 2023 report. In this way, Turkey's success in education was analyzed both in general and comparatively among OECD countries.