Ecological Dynamics of Reading Performance: A Structural Equation Model with PIRLS 2021 Türkiye Data

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Çalışkan E. A., Göktentürk T.

Participatory Educational Research, cilt.13, sa.4, ss.1-22, 2026 (Scopus)

Özet

Reading performance in the primary grades is shaped not only by students’ cognitive skills but also by the personal, school, and family conditions in which literacy develops. Understanding these multilayered influences is particularly important for Türkiye, where PIRLS 2021 offers a nationally representative opportunity to examine fourth-grade reading achievement after a two-decade interval in participation. Guided by Zumbo’s ecological framework, this study investigated the direct and interrelated effects of reading self-efficacy, students’ attitudes toward school, and parents’ attitudes toward their children’s school on reading performance. The sample comprised 6,032 fourth-grade students in Türkiye, together with corresponding parent and school administrator data from PIRLS 2021. Missing data were addressed through multiple imputation, and construct validity was examined through confirmatory factor analysis before estimating the final structural equation model. The model demonstrated good fit. Reading self-efficacy showed the strongest positive effect on reading performance, followed by students’ attitudes toward school and parental attitudes. Covariance estimates indicated a moderate association between reading self-efficacy and school attitudes, whereas parental attitudes were only weakly related to students’ self-perceptions. These findings suggest that the personal characteristics layer has greater explanatory power than the school and family layers, while still operating within a broader ecological structure. The results highlight the need to strengthen students’ reading self-beliefs, foster supportive school climates, and improve home–school partnerships. Future research may extend the model by incorporating additional ecological layers and testing longitudinal or multilevel pathways.