Mustafa Sami TOPÇU

Mustafa Sami TOPÇU is a Turkish academic and science educator currently serving as an Assistant Professor at the Department of Mathematics and Science Education within the Faculty of Education at Yildiz Technical University since 2014. He holds a PhD in Science Education from Middle East Technical University (2008) and has conducted research at the University of Florida (2007) and University of Missouri-Columbia (2014-2015).

Research Interests

• Socioscientific Issues (SSI) in education
• Argumentation and reasoning skills
• Epistemological beliefs in science
• STEM education integration
• Design thinking and computational thinking
• Model-based pedagogy

Academic Contributions include 191 WoS publications (with 154 H-index), 12 projects, and editorial roles in journals like International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education. He received the TÜBİTAK Teşvik Ödülü (2018) for his international-level work in science education.

Key Trends in Recent Publications (2023-2025) demonstrate:

• Integration of computational thinking with biology topics (circulatory system, digestive system)
• Innovative engineering design applications for environmental education
• Development of model-based and design thinking approaches
• Focus on teacher training in SSI and CT instruction
• Exploration of moral/epistemic dimensions in science education
• Adaptation of pedagogical tools for Turkish context