The Relationships Between Curriculum Responsibility, School Autonomy and Academic Achievement in Turkey, Finland and Germany: A Comparative Analysis Based on PISA 2022 Data

Authors : Fatih Aygören

Pages : 50-69

Doi:10.31798/ses.1705435

View : 45 | Download : 21

Publication Date : 2025-06-15

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This study aims to comparatively examine the relationships between curriculum responsibility, school autonomy and academic achievement in Turkey, Finland and Germany based on PISA 2022 data. The study employed the correlational survey model, one of the quantitative research methods and analyzed the relationships between variables through correlation analysis, while differences between countries were assessed using ANOVA. The sample of the study, derived from the PISA 2022 dataset, consists of 196 schools and school administrators, 322 teachers and 7,250 students from Turkey; 241 schools and school administrators, 434 teachers and 10,239 students from Finland; and 257 schools and school administrators, 400 teachers and 6,116 students from Germany. The findings reveal that Finland achieved the highest academic achievement due to its decentralized and autonomous education system, Germany exhibited intermediate values with its federal structure and Turkey demonstrated the lowest performance due to its centralized structure. According to the correlation analysis, significant relationships were found between curriculum responsibility, school autonomy and academic achievement, with school autonomy showing a stronger relationship with academic achievement. ANOVA results confirmed that the differences between the countries were statistically significant. In conclusion, decentralized education systems enhance academic achievement by granting schools greater autonomy. While Finland’s decentralized structure ensures high performance, Turkey’s centralized decision-making mechanism leads to lower performance. Germany, on the other hand, achieves positive outcomes by reducing regional disparities through its federal structure. Decentralized systems are more successful compared to centralized ones.
Keywords : Eğitim Programı Sorumluluğu, Okul öz-yönetimi, Yerelleşme

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