Organised by Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) Faculty of Education, Turkish and Social Sciences Teacher Education Department, a panel titled "A Critical Outlook in PISA Results from the Window of Reading Comprehension " was held in Mustafa Afşin Ersoy Hall. The opening speech was delivered by EMU Education Faculty Dean Prof. Dr. Ülker Vancı Osam and the panel was moderated by EMU Turkish and Social Sciences Teacher Education Department Chair Prof. Dr. Ahmet Pehlivan. The speakers at the said panel were Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nihat Bayat from Akdeniz University, Faculty of Education, Department of Elementary Education, Assoc. Prof. Dr. İbrahim Seçkin Aydın from Dokuz Eylül University, Faculty of Education, Department of Turkish Language Education and Assistant Prof. Dr. Gizem Uyumaz from Giresun University, Faculty of Education, Department of Educational Sciences, Measurement and Evaluation Program.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nihat Bayat first provided information on what PISA is and its assessment areas and then touched upon the place of Turkey in PISA. According to the results obtained, Turkey has a lower average when compared to the averages of OECD and all other countries. According to the findings of research participated by 72 countries in 2015, Turkey ranked 50th in the reading section of PISA evaluation. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nihat Bayat indicated that the proficiency levels of Turkish students belonging to the 15-year-old group were lower than the reading levels of others. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bayat ended his presentation by addressing the key areas of reading in “PISA” and elements considered in PISA when evaluating reading materials.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. İbrahim Seçkin Aydın discussed PISA in terms of Turkish Education Programs. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aydın specified that the educational approaches in teaching and learning Turkish consist of two main methods, generally named as Behaviorist and Constructivist. The Ministry of National Education has developed a program which advocates the concept of “Constructivist Approach" by putting an end to behaviorist practices in 2005, and emphasizing those lower and upper skills besides language skills are also primary issues according to this understanding. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aydin also added that when the achievements related to reading field levels in PISA are compared with the ones in Turkish language program, the gains in Turkish language programs stay below the PISA expectations and therefore they do not meet the PISA criteria.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gizem Uyumaz evaluated PISA test’s format and design in terms of assessment and evaluation of applications and compared them with the similar exam applications in Turkey. After the questions addressed by the students at the end of the interview were answered by Prof. Assoc. Dr. Gizem Uyumaz, she touched briefly upon the subjects including the item formats used in PISA applications, her qualification levels, and her assessment of reading skills. The panel which was received with great interest ended with the distribution of certificates of appreciation to the participants.