Abstract :
Based on success levels achieved in international examinations like PISA and TIMSS, it is seen that there are some problems about elementary school in Turkey. In this research, 6 mathematical literacy problems used in PISA were administered to 15-year-old 5 students, and their difficulty sources were determined by examining their answering process by descriptive analysis. At the end of the analyses, basic difficulty sources were determined as lack of self-confidence, not reading the problem thoroughly, incomprehension of what is read, and not paying attention. When these difficulties classified, communications skills came the first. Also, there were some difficulties based on student’s affective structures. Problem posing and solving was one of the difficulties. These difficulties can be overcome through precautions taken in education. It has been concluded that if qualified education environments are arranged, successful results can be reached.
