Scaling Problems in the System of Transition from Elementary to Secondary Education in Turkey with the Rank-Order Method

The purpose of this study is to scale level of significance regarded to problems that experienced in transition from elementary to secondary by using rank-order method. Thus, study was conducted as mixed-methods research. For sample of qualitative phase, 42 8th and 9th grade students who studied at different types of public schools, also 15 teachers who worked at same schools were selected. The sample in quantitative phase constituted of 336 8th and 397 9th grade students, plus 130 8th and 139 9th grade teachers. To gather qualitative data, a composition instruction and semi-structured interviews were used. Then, scaling forms for students and teachers were developed in accordance with qualitative data. The qualitative data was analyzed with content analysis technique. In analysis of ranked data, Thurstone's law of comparative and the composite standard solutions were used. The stimulus of constantly and rapidly changes in transition to secondary education was scaled as most significant problem by 8thgrade students and teachers. Not allocating time for leisure time activities stimulus was evaluated as most crucial problem by 9th grade students. Rankings of stimuli were more consistent in terms of independent variables, in 8th graders’ judgments. However, according to 9th grade students’ judgments, there was less similarity in rankings for both gender and school type variables. Besides, according to judgments of teachers, rankings descriptively differed in terms of branch and seniority level variables.