Report No: ACS8258 . Improving the transition between lower and upper secondary schools in Turkey: Recommendations for the design of a more equitable system Improving the transition between lower and upper secondary schools in Turkey: . May 16, 2014 . ECSH2 EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA . Document of the World Bank . . . Standard Disclaimer: This volume is a product of the staff of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/ The World Bank. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper do not necessarily reflect the views of the Executive Directors of The World Bank or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. . Copyright Statement: . 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TIMSS 2011 Turkey Key observations  The objective of this brief is to present a picture of the students in Turkey using data from TIMSS 2011.  For comparability reasons we did not use data from previous rounds of TIMSS. Thus, we are not able to explore whether students in Turkey have improved, or not, their performance over time.  Results show that Turkey’s student performance on the TIMSS international education assessments is as expected given its level of economic development.  Turkish students’ results in Science are stronger than in Math for grade 8, suggesting that students have a better command of the Science than the Math curriculum.  There are opportunities to improve the quality of education for all children as inequalities remain across groups in the education system. TIMSS 2011 scores and GDP per capita Learning outcomes in Science and log GDP per capita Learning outcomes in Math and log GDP per capita TIMSS 2011, Grade 8 TIMSS 2011, Grade 8 600 KOR SGP 600 SGP HKG KORJPN JPN FIN RUSSVN HKG RUS Mean score on Science HUN USA AUS Mean score on Math LTU ISR NZL SWE 500 ISR FIN 500 UKR ITA HUN USA KAZ NOR LTU SVN ITA AUS TUR KAZ NZL SWE UKR NOR ROM CHL ARE ARM JOR THA ROM ARE TUN LBNTUR ARM SAU MYS MYS GEO THA MKD GEO OMN QAT TUN CHL 400 MKDLBN 400 IDN JOR QAT SAU IDN MAR MAR OMN GHA 300 300 GHA 7 8 9 10 11 7 8 9 10 11 Log of GDP per capita PPP (constant 2005 dollars) Log of GDP per capita PPP (constant 2005 dollars) TIMSS Scores of student population by What is TIMSS? levels of proficiency The Trends in International Mathematics 100% and Science Study (TIMSS) is an 90% international examination that assesses, 80% every four years, how well students have 70% learned the curricula. 60% Advanced 50% Turkey has participated in two previous High 40% rounds of TIMSS; however, these are not Intermediate comparable with data in 2011. This 30% 20% Low often happens when countries improved 10% Below low translations of the survey instrument or 0% increased population coverage. EU Turkey EU Turkey OECD OECD For more details see: http://timss.bc.edu/timss2011/downloads/T11_I Science Math R_M_AppendixA.pdf TIMSS 2011 Turkish Students Scores by socioeconomic index Schools in Turkey are highly stratified TIMSS scores in Science (8th grade) 0.9 0.8 Turkey USA EU OECD 0.7 Stratification Index Lowest quintile 423 475 460 465 0.6 Highest quintile 548 577 565 583 102 0.5 Gap 125 105 118 0.4 TIMSS scores in Math 0.3 (8th grade) 0.2 Turkey USA EU OECD 0.1 0 Lowest quintile 385 468 460 465 THA CAB QAT UIN BWA ADU GHA UCA MAR COT UMA OMN SAU KAZ UAL UFL UKR USA JOR HKG ARE IDN ROM SVN NOR UNC TUN TUR Highest quintile 531 560 565 583 Note: The index is generated by a correlation between individual and school Gap 146 92 105 118 socioeconomic characteristics. A correlation that tends to zero suggests that students are randomly assigned to school. Mean 8th Grade TIMSS science scores by categories Female, highest quintile, medium-size city 562 Highest quintile 556 Female medium-size city 515 Turkish at home 492 Females 491 Turkey's average 483 Males 475 Lowest quintile 418 Foreign language at home 405 Male in rural area 355 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 Key Observations  There is room for improvement in addressing inequalities in the education system. Disaggregating national scores shows that Turkey’s test scores gap between the highest and the lowest quintiles is higher in Math than in Science. These gaps are slightly larger than those seen in OECD and EU countries; with a gap of 125 points in Turkey versus 118 in science for OECD countries.  There are spatial and linguistic inequalities; students living in urban areas (including urban, suburban, and medium-size cities) perform better in both subjects than those living in rural areas (including small towns and remote rural areas).  Schools in Turkey are stratified. Previous World Bank reports using PISA test scores (taken after the examination for upper secondary) do not indicate that stratification in Turkey increases after the exam. In fact, analysis suggests that if at all, the exam reduces it. TIMSS 2011 8th Grade Science Teachers in Turkey Education level of 8th grade teachers Years of experience of 8th grade science in selected countries teachers in selected countries Sec. and below Professional Bachelor Master 25 23 21 22 19 20 Percentage Points Russia 100% 14 15 Romania 22% 10 10 Turkey 8% 5 Middle-income 21% 0 Developed 39% Turkish 8th grade science teachers’ majors by Teachers in Turkey recruitment period The teacher workforce in Turkey increased by 60 51 70 percent between 1997 and 2012. The 50 Government increased the salaries of teachers 44 and offered incentives to improve teachers’ 42 professional and career development. Percentage Points 40 Teachers’ salaries doubled in real terms in the 29 2000s. Moreover, beginning in 2002, teachers 30 were recruited based on the results of a 20 20 central examination (OECD, 2013). These 14 changes would have supported an overall 10 increase in teacher quality. 0 Source: OECD. 2013. Turkey Education at a Glance. Subject Education + Subject Education Country Note. Retrieved May 11 from http://www.oecd.org/edu/Turkey_EAG2013%20Co pre-reform post-reform untry%20Note.pdf Key Observations  Most eighth grade teachers in Turkey have a bachelor’s degree.  Eighth grade science teachers in Turkey have on average 10 years of experience; relatively lesser years than in other comparator countries, partially due to the fact that Turkey’s school population has been growing relative to that in other middle income ECA comparators.  Eighth grade science teachers recruited before and after the 2002 selection reform have different majors. Many more eighth grade science teachers major in education than before the reforms. TIMSS 2011 Determining factors of student achievement Share of variation in science scores of 8th graders explained by individual, household, and school characteristics Model (1) (2) (3) Note: Models were run using OLS regressions and in Individual characteristics Yes Yes Yes addition to individual variables, they also control for Gender Yes Yes Yes SES at the classroom level, disciplinary climate, Age Yes Yes Yes Socioeconomic status of Yes Yes Yes curriculum index, evaluation of student parents achievement, how often the teacher assigns Foreign language at home Yes Yes Yes homework, assessment practices index, teacher Aspirations Yes Yes experience, teacher gender, teacher age, whether School characteristics Yes the teacher majored in science or in education, the School average of Yes teacher’s job satisfaction and whether the teacher is socioeconomic status (peer content with their profession, how often the teacher effects) summarizes class, and how often the teacher Teacher characteristics Yes encourages students. Models were run using robust Share of explained variation 27% 45% 53% standard errors and clustering observations at the school level. Key Observations  Performance of Turkey’s students is largely explained by individual, household, and school level characteristics.  Parents’ education levels and socio-economic status account for around 27 of the variance in student achievement; individual aspirations add an additional 18 percent. All variables, including school and teacher characteristics account for 53 percent of the student achievement variance.  Foreign language at home is negatively correlated with student achievement.  Students with higher individual aspirations perform better.  Eighth grade science teachers who apply effective teaching strategies, like summarizing main points and providing positive encouragement, can make an important difference in students’ learning.  Other school-related variables, like class size, while still statistically significant in determining student achievement, are very low in magnitude.  Higher parental involvement positively affect students from lower socio-economic status. Policy Recommendations There are policy leavers that affect student achievement. A combination of policies may work better than one policy alone. Two important ones are:  Strengthening the skills of eighth grade science teachers by training them in effective teaching practices, and  Promoting parental involvement. For additional analysis on TIMSS, please see the recent work of ERI: http://erg.sabanciuniv.edu/sites/erg.sabanciuniv.edu/files/TIMSS%20abstract%20summary.pdf