Predicting students problem-solving skills through home and parent related factors, school types, and affective variables

Abstract

Problem-solving skill is one of the important qualifications that individuals need to have to cope with challenges in daily life. That’s why, developing this skill is one of the purpose of Turkish mathematics curriculum. This study investigates which factors among background related, school types, and affective variables have relationship on problem-solving skill. The study was based on data set from PISA 2012 cycle. The sample was 4,848 Turkish students from twelve different school types. The possible relationship between students’ problem-solving skills and the variables were investigated by using hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis. The results showed that school types significantly predicted problem-solving skill. Also, this study revealed that mother education level was important on defining problem-solving skill and self-efficacy more affects the skill than other math-related variables.