Abstract

The aim of this survey study is to examine the out of school factors that explain students’ success in the placement test score. In this study variables that explain success of sixth grade students in 2009, seventh grade students in 2010 and eighth grade students in 2011 placement tests were determined by CHAID analysis. In the research 50000 students were picked out of 1011159 students by using stratified random sampling method according to district and gender. In accordance with CHAID analysis results, the most explicatory variable for students’ success in placement test is determined as “condition of going to a private teaching center during the seventh grade”. “Fathers’ educational background”, “mothers’ educational background” and “number of books that students read” are also found as other explicatory variables.

Key words: Placement test (SBS) success, CHAID analysis, private teaching center, father educational background, mother educational background, number of books that students read.