The Relationship Between The Science Achievement of Secondary School Seventh Grade Students and Reading Comprehension, Graph Reading, Problem Solving Skills

The aim of this study is to survey the relationship between the seventh graders’ science achievement and age, gender, reading comprehension, graphs reading and problem solving abilities. The research was conducted in accordance with correlational survey model. 251 seventh grade students who study at a public secondary school in ？ay？rova, Kocaeli constituted the sampling group of the study, but the data was collected from 239 of them. In order to find out the answers for the research questions, first term science class transcripts of central exam which was made in Kocaeli, reading comprehension achievement test, problem solving scale of primary school students, graph reading skills test in science and student recognition forms were used for data collection. As a result of the research, It was seen that while over the one-third of the students got 75 marks and over, a considerable proportion of the students got zero point from the reading comprehension and graph reading tests. The students therefore have trouble in reading comprehension and graph reading. However, the marks which students got from the problem solving scale showed that the students had a high problem solving perseption. Another result of this research is that there is a positive relationship between science achievements and reading comprehension, graph reading, problem solving skill and subsections of problem solving. Morever, reading comprehension, graph reading and self-control, the subsection of problem solving skill, were seen as predictors of science achievement. Consequently, it can be said that the students who have self- management against problem and have high reading comprehension, graph reading skills are also successful in science