Socio-Cultural Factors Effecting First Grade Primary School Students' Reading Success *

The purpose of this study is to investigate socio-cultural factors that affect first grade students' success. It is designed as a qualitative study. The study was carried out on 186 first grade students in 6 classes of Bartin Province, Special Provincial Directorate Agdaci Primary School and Ataturk Primary School. In data collection process, students' success was identified using observation form given in Turkish Course Book; and a questionnaire was implemented to find out the socio-cultural status of children in the upper and lower success groups. The results of the study revealed that student success differed by families' monthly income, education of parents, father's job, pre-school education, having a computer, using computer, daily computer using frequency and daily internet using frequency. SUMMARY Purpose and significance: First grade is an important period when children meet school, form the infrastructure of their education and when they take the first steps to first reading and writing. The quality of the education in this period has an impact on each student's future education and social life. The impact of environmental factors in student success cannot be ignored. The society that child lives in and his family create student's prior knowledge and this, directly affect success. The purpose of this study is to investigate socio-cultural factors that affect first grade students' success. It is believed that the findings of the study will contribute to decision-making institutions while identifying the activities that support first reading education in first grades Methods: The study was carried out on 186 first grade students in 6 classes of Bartin Province. In the data collection process, students' success was identified using observation form given in Turkish Course Book; and a questionnaire was implemented to find out the socio-cultural status of children in the upper and lower success groups. Results: The results of the study revealed that most of the students lived in the city, almost all of them lived with their parents, all of the students' parents were alive and most of the students used computer to play games. It was also found that students' success did not differ based on the schools they studied, gender, whether they lived in a small or big family, whether they lived in their own house or in rent, the number of children in the family, the number of children going to school in the family, mother's profession, the number of books read to the child, the frequency of watching TV daily, whether they had access to internet. However, it was revealed that student success differed by families' monthly income, education of parents, father's job, pre-school education, having a computer, using computer, daily computer using frequency and daily internet using frequency. Discussion and Conclusions: Considering that parents' education is a determining factor of students' success, it is important to educate our children as the future parents. Factors causing our students to stop their education should be removed and those people who stopped their education should be given opportunities to develop themselves via using such systems as distant education or open education. Pre-school education is a factor that affects student success. Considering this, pre-school education should be supported or be compulsory. Taking the fact that student success changes based on having a computer, using computer, daily computer using frequency and daily internet using frequency, environments where students can use computer and internet should be created.