Determining the Factors Playing a Role in Low Reading Achievement

Abstract

The primary aim of this study is to identify the characteristics of 5th-grade students who are low reading achievers and reasons behind low reading achievement. This study was carried out with a total of 944 students by using a correlational model, one of the quantitative research approaches, and convenience sampling and criterion sampling methods. Various instruments were utilized in the study, including the Reading Comprehension Achievement Test composed of open-ended items, the rubric, Student Survey, the Perseverance Scale, the Test Anxiety Scale, the Scale for Attitude toward School, The Exposure to Bullying Scale, the Achievement Motivation Scale, the Perceived Academic Self-Efficacy Scale, the Learned Helplessness Tendency Scale, and an interview form.
Given the results achieved from the Reading Comprehension Achievement Test, responses from students with low reading achievement were predominantly blank, incorrect, and irrelevant responses. Survey results revealed significant differences in the distribution of educational opportunities between low and high-achieving students. The results achieved in this study indicated that demographic, cultural, economic, and affective characteristics explaining the achievements of low and high- high-achieving students were distinct. While gender, number of siblings, and the academic significantly predicted the reading test scores of low- achieving students, only the targeted education level was a significant predictor in the high- achieving group. Examining affective characteristics, the reading scores of low- achieving students were significantly predicted by their learned helplessness tendencies and attitudes towards school. Only the perceived academic self-efficacy was significant in high- achieving students.
Interviews conducted to determine the reasons for students’ low achievement revealed that students struggled with responding to items requiring higher-level thinking, were not accustomed to answering open-ended items, and attempted to respond to open-ended items as if they were multiple-choice items. Based on these findings, it is recommended to take measures to balance certain socioeconomic and psychological variables that affect achievement in both low and high- achieving groups. Additionally, due to the distinct characteristics of these two groups, it is essential to tailor solution proposals in future studies according to these differences.