Meryem Altun Ekiz

Meryem Altun Ekiz serves as Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Physical Education and Sports Teaching at Hatay Mustafa Kemal University's Sports Sciences Faculty. Her work bridges Sports Sciences with cognitive educational methodologies, emphasizing practical applications for child development.

Education

• Doctorate in Physical Education and Sports Training from Gazı University (2017) with thesis: 'The effects of physical activity cards and brain teasers to the attention and visual perception levels of primary school students'
• Master's in Physical Education and Sports Training from Gazı University (2014) with thesis: 'A study over the problem solving ability of 11-12 years old children regularly playing educational games'
• Bachelor's in Physical Education and Sports Teaching from Gazi University (2009)

Her research centers on cognitive-physical intersections, particularly how educational games, brain teasers, and folk dances enhance attention, visual memory, and problem-solving in children. This includes developing interdisciplinary models for ADHD intervention through sports-education-art synthesis. Her methodology emphasizes measurable cognitive outcomes from structured physical activities.

With 122 Web of Science publications, her work consistently explores Sports Sciences and Educational Sciences intersections. Recurring themes include cognitive benefits of physical activity, game-based learning efficacy, and culturally rooted movement practices like folk dances as educational tools. Her research trajectory shows increasing focus on neurocognitive aspects of sports pedagogy.

She has advised 3 theses and participated in three significant projects: the EU-funded FLEX Project (2013) for healthy education generations; an ADHD intervention model (2022) as lead trainer; and a national sports performance enhancement study (2022-2024) as researcher. These demonstrate applied translation of her cognitive-physical activity research into community and athletic contexts.