The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) conducts the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) every three years to evaluate the knowledge and skills of 15-year-old students and compare countries. The PISA research, assessing mathematical literacy, scientific literacy, and reading skills of students continuing formal education at the age of 15, was conducted in 2022 after being postponed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Türkiye has been participating in the PISA research since 2003. The number of participating countries increased from 41 in 2003 to 81 in 2022. The final implementation of PISA 2022 took place in Türkiye from April 19 to May 13, 2022, with the participation of 196 schools and 7,250 students from 60 provinces, using a computer-based approach.

 

Two separate reports on PISA results were presented to the public: one is the country report announced by the Directorate of Measurement, Evaluation, and Exam Services, and the other is the report authored by the OECD, published on www.oecd.org/pisa.

 

In the OECD's assessment of Türkiye's PISA results, it was stated, " Türkiye is one of the few countries that has shown improvement in most areas in PISA for over a decade."

 

According to the report from the Directorate of Measurement, Evaluation, and Exam Services, Türkiye achieved a score in mathematics similar to 2018 in the PISA 2022 results, obtained a higher score in science literacy, and showed slightly lower performance in reading skills.

 

Türkiye's PISA 2022 averages in mathematics and science placed among the highest results ever obtained in PISA. Additionally, a performance close to the long-term average was achieved in reading skills. Particularly, the scores obtained in mathematics and science in PISA 2022 were significantly higher compared to the scores in 2006 and 2015.

 

Türkiye's position in the rankings with all countries and OECD countries:

As the number of participating countries in the PISA 2022 study increased from 79 to 81, Türkiye ranked higher in country rankings in all three areas.

 

In mathematics, Türkiye, which ranked 42nd among 79 countries in 2018, ranked 39th among 81 countries in PISA 2022. Similarly, Türkiye, which was 33rd among 37 OECD countries in 2018, moved up to 32nd place in 2022.

 

In science, while Türkiye ranked 39th among 79 countries in PISA 2018, it rose to 34th place among 81 countries in PISA 2022. Similarly, Türkiye, which was 30th among 37 OECD countries in 2018, took 29th place in 2022.

 

In reading skills, Türkiye, which ranked 40th among 79 countries in PISA 2018, climbed to 36th place among 81 countries in PISA 2022. Similarly, Türkiye, which was 31st among 37 OECD countries in 2018, reached 30th place in 2022.

 

The report stated, " Türkiye ranks above the global average in all three areas while rapidly reducing the gap with OECD countries. In addition, data from surveys on physical and social learning environments in PISA show that the physical and social learning averages in Türkiye are better than those of the OECD. This is an indication that steps taken towards achieving equal opportunities in education and improving learning environments since 2003 have yielded positive results."

 

Mathematical literacy and Türkiye's performance in the PISA cycles in the mathematics domain:

In the PISA research, a different domain is evaluated as the weighted domain in each cycle. In PISA 2022, mathematical literacy was determined as the weighted domain. Türkiye was among the countries that showed a steady increase in performance in the mathematics domain in PISA, according to the report.

 

The report stated, "In the last 20 years, Türkiye is one of the two countries that has made steady progress in the field of mathematics."

 

In PISA 2022, a decrease was observed in the average scores of OECD and all countries in mathematical literacy. However, this decrease did not occur in Türkiye.

 

In the mathematics domain, while the OECD average was 472 and the global average was 438 in PISA 2022, Türkiye's average was 453 points, placing Türkiye above the global average.

 

When the difference between the average scores of OECD countries and all countries in mathematics and Türkiye's average score is examined, it is seen that Türkiye has consistently reduced the gap in each cycle, compared to the average scores of OECD countries.

 

According to the 2022 results, Türkiye reduced the 70-point gap with OECD countries in the mathematics domain in 2015 to 19 points and surpassed them by 15 points, closing the 41-point gap with all countries and leading by 29 points.

 

Science literacy:

Regarding the change in performance in the field of science literacy in the PISA cycles, it was stated, " Türkiye is one of the four countries that has made steady progress in the field of science over the last twenty years."

 

On the other hand, when the change in the average performance in the field of science literacy in the PISA cycles is examined, an increase was observed in Türkiye's average score, while a decrease was seen in the average scores of OECD and all countries in PISA 2022.

 

In PISA 2022, the average performance in the science domain was 485 for OECD, 447 for all countries, and 476 for Türkiye, placing Türkiye above the global averages.

 

In the field of science, while Türkiye significantly exceeded the global average, it approached the OECD average.

 

When the difference between the average scores of OECD countries and all countries in the field of science and Türkiye's average score is examined, it is revealed that Türkiye has consistently reduced the gap in each cycle.

 

According to the 2022 results, Türkiye reduced the 68-point gap with OECD countries in the field of science in 2015 to 9 points and surpassed them by 29 points, closing the 40-point gap with all countries.

 

Reading skills:

In PISA 2022, a decrease was observed in the average scores of OECD and all countries in reading skills. A similar decrease also occurred in Türkiye.

 

The report stated, "In the PISA cycles, no significant change has been observed in Türkiye's reading skills performance over the last twenty years."

 

In PISA 2022, the average score in reading skills was 476 for OECD, 435 for all countries, and 456 for Türkiye. With this score, Türkiye surpassed the global average.

 

In reading skills, according to the 2022 results, the 62-point gap between Türkiye and OECD countries in 2015 decreased to 20 points, and the 32-point gap with all countries was closed, leading by 21 points.

 

To access the report, click here.