Researcher Mehmet Şükrü Belliba of Adıyaman University researched the topic of student success based off of their socio-economic status, and the student’s home lives. The article written is titled. Who are the Most Disadvantaged? Factors Associated with the Achievement of Students with Low SocioEconomic Backgrounds. In the study Mehmet investigated a variety of applicable students, households, and school factors all aspects which were associated with the performance of students with distinct socio economic status (SES) backgrounds in Turkey. The study was designed to compare the most disadvantaged students with the most advantaged ones. The students were compared in the subjects of reading, mathematics, and science. Mehmet evaluated the students in both economic status in the above areas to check their achievement.

Mehmet posed the following research question; What is the achievement gap between low-SES and high-SES students in Turkey, controlling for various student and school factors, as well as for student characteristics? To answer this question a multiple regression was used. Students’ scores in each subject (reading, math, and science) were set as a dependent variable, SES levels (low-SES and high-SES), as well as other variables such as, gender, language, mothers education, perseverance, home educational resources, quality of school educational resources and physical infrastructures, class size, and total school enrolment, were used as independent variables.

The data for research originates from the most current PISA (Program for International Student Assessment), which was taken by the International Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2012. PISA intentions for the study were to assess 15-year-old students’ skills in three dominate school subjects—mathematics, science, and reading.

For the study, Mehmet used a quantitative method in which he applied inferential statistics. Inferential statistics is described by Mehmet as “a part of general linear model and includes several methods, such as t-test, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and regression.” The research article goes on to state that for this research, multiple regression model were used. Simply meaning the section, “starts with an articulation of the data sources and the sample used in the study. It then introduces dependent and independent variables. Lastly, it lays out details concerning the analysis of the data” (Mehmet 2015, 696).

The research study seems to be well though and laid out. Some of the terminology was foreign to me, however Mehmet did a good job of going into detail about certain terms that not every reader may have understood. I found those portions of the article to be very beneficial.

In reading the article I thought many of the terms used would come up during later class instructions, and being able to read ahead and have been given explanation as to what the terms meant will benefit me in the future, and possibly my classmates as well.

DOI:

10.12738/estp.2016.2.0257