Modeling the Effects of Instructional Quality on Mathematical Literacy Performance from the Students’ Perspective: PISA 2012 Turkey Sample

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of students’ perceptions of instructional quality in mathematics lessons on the PISA 2012 mathematical literacy performance as well as the mediating role of self-concept and interest in mathematics in this effect by using the PISA 2012 data for Turkey. The sample of this research in the descriptive-relational survey model included all of the students in Turkey sample of 4848 students. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the data. Based on the theoretical framework of the triarchic model conceptualizing the instructional quality, the independent variables discussed in the research were defined as cognitive activation, classroom management, student orientation, and teacher support, while non-cognitive variables such as mathematics self-concept and mathematics interest were defined as mediating independent variables. Mathematical literacy performance obtained from PISA 2012 mathematics test was used as the dependent variable of this study. The findings of the study revealed that while student orientation was the variable that best explained mathematical literacy performance in terms of a net total effect (albeit negative), the variable that positively explained it the most was cognitive activation. It was also found that classroom management and teacher support were not significant explanatory variables for mathematical literacy performance in the model. On the other hand, similar to the direct effect of the perceptions of cognitive activation and classroom management on the mathematics self-concept, it was determined that the perceptions of teacher support had also a low direct effect on the perception of interest in mathematics. In terms of indirect effects on mathematical literacy performance, the study showed that the perceptions of cognitive activation and classroom management had a significant positive low effect. The results and limitations of the research were discussed and some suggestions were made for further research.