
Adem EkmekciRice University · School Mathematics Project
Adem Ekmekci
Ph.D.
About
43
Publications
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342
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Introduction
Additional affiliations
May 2017 - September 2017
September 2013 - July 2016
Publications
Publications (43)
This paper examines the antecedents of three types of educational beliefs about mathematics among 151 teachers predominantly working in high poverty schools. Studies across various countries have found that teachers in high poverty schools are less likely to enact instructional approaches that align with mathematics reform standards set by national...
Research suggests that teachers’ knowledge and beliefs about teaching and learning
mathematics are among the key factors for effective teaching. This study explores the extent to
which K-12 mathematics teachers’ educational beliefs and mathematics knowledge for teaching
(MKT) have an impact on students’ math achievement. The effects of students’ pr...
Mathematical tasks that provide a solution space rather than a prescriptive solution pathway generate opportunities for students to connect mathematical thinking and mathematical competencies with real life. Model-Eliciting Activities (MEA) go beyond creating these opportunities and provide rich information about students' mathematical knowledge an...
The National Research Council (NRC) outlines an assessment design framework in Knowing What Students Know. This framework proposes the integration of three components in assessment design that can be represented by a triangle, with each corner representing: cognition, or model of student learning in the domain; observation, or evidence of competenc...
Teacher leadership is essential for increasing teacher quality, addressing teacher turnover, and
ultimately improving student learning. In this paper, we describe a teacher leadership program
that developed 14 secondary mathematics teacher leaders. The quantitative data from the
assessments and surveys indicate improvement of knowledge for teaching...
By providing a study on mathematics teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge
(TPACK), the goal of this study is to understand the impact of a professional development program on teachers’ level of TPACK and to investigate the predictive value of two factors – teachers’ beliefs (e.g., self-efficacy) and sense of preparedness to teach ma...
: Teacher leadership is important for providing high-quality education. However, there
is little consensus on what constitutes teacher leadership. We explored perceptions of eight
teachers about teacher leadership. The following themes emerged to describe teacher leaders:
being a model, lifetime learner, experienced teacher, listener, aware of ever...
Teacher retention has been a continuous challenge in the U.S. In this paper, we
compared 84 Master Teaching Fellows (MTFs) and 83 non-MTFs in their self-efficacy,
leadership skills, school-work environment, diversity dispositions, and professional network
size. Using multinomial logistic regression, we also explored if these factors related to thei...
By providing a study on mathematics teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK), the goal of study is to understand the impact of a professional development on teachers’ level of TPACK and to investigate the predictive value of teachers’ beliefs (e.g., self-efficacy) and sense of preparedness to teach mathematics on their level of...
Teacher leadership is essential to meet the needs of students, teachers, and schools in an
effective way. To provide a better support system in high-need schools, the Rice University
Robert Noyce Master Teaching Fellowship (RU-MTF) program further developed and supported
14 secondary mathematics teacher leaders. In this paper, we described two of t...
Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields occupy a significant role in human prosperity and advancement. This study explores the factors affecting student STEM outcomes. Traditionally, the associations of students’ own motivational or cognitive inputs to their STEM career outcomes have been investigated before. Similarly, assoc...
Teacher turnover in science and mathematics is a significant and consistent challenge for K-12 education in the U.S. This paper provides: (a) an investigation of the relationship between teacher retention and several social and motivational factors; and (b) a comparison of Master Teaching Fellows (MTF) and non-MTF teachers in terms of their retenti...
Technology is a fundamental tool for teaching and learning science. It is a key enabler of continuous, lifelong learning, serving as a gateway to directly accessing knowledge and fostering learning. This paper presents what education technology tools STEM teachers often utilize in their classrooms in general and how they utilize Web Adventures—inno...
In response to the underrepresentation of minoritized groups employed in the computer science (CS) field, this study aims to enhance underrepresented minoritized (URM) students’ motivation for CS through an intervention informed by culturally relevant pedagogy theory in a required high school mathematics course. This intervention integrated culture...
This review paper provides the Rice University School Mathematics Project’s (RUSMP) insights into engaging in research in urban schools and school districts and other non-profit education centers. The paper elaborates on the questions of why the research is needed and how critical it is to help improve mathematics education in a metropolitan area s...
This paper describes the efforts of the Rice University School Mathematics Project (RUSMP) to support K-16 mathematics education and more recently to support science, technology, engineering and the arts as they relate to mathematics. RUSMP was established in 1987 with funding from the National Science Foundation in order to provide a bridge betwee...
Guided by the “constructivism in practice” dilemmas framework developed by Windschitl (Rev Educ Res 72(2):131–175, 2002) we investigated the conceptual, pedagogical, cultural, and political barriers that 24 K-12 mathematics teachers working in a high-poverty urban school district in Texas encountered when trying to implement student-centered teachi...
This study examines students’ conceptualization of scientific method from three perspectives: (a) participation in an international science fair, (b) gender differences, and (c) participation from different geographic regions worldwide. An online Word Association Test (WAT) with 10 stimulus words that are associated with scientific method was admin...
Guided by self-determination theory, this study investigated the extent to which factors of teachers' school-work environments predict their self-efficacy and intrinsic value for teaching. Participants were 217 mathematics teachers working in Texas public schools. Results indicated that principals' autonomy support positively predicted teachers' se...
The purpose of this study is to investigate how students’ high school experience,
math and science efficacy, and student, parent, and teacher expectations affect
their plans for college major choice after controlling for students’ gender,
ethnicity, and parental variables. Over 1500 9th grade students participated in the study. Using logistic regre...
This study examines college students’ science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) choices as they relate to high school experiences, parent, teacher, and self-expectations, and mathematics and science efficacy. Participants were 2246 graduates of a STEM-focused public Harmony Public Schools in Texas, Harmony Public Schools (HPS). Descr...
This study investigates the effects of science teacher-related factors on high school students’ persistence in science subjects. Teacher-level factors are related to their professional background and included variables about their educational background in science, training in science teaching, and science teaching experience. Participants included...
Given the shortages and high attrition of mathematics teachers, it seems critical to examine the contextual factors that influence their motivation for teaching. Therefore, guided by self-determination theory, this study investigated the extent to which factors of teachers’ school-work environments predict their self-efficacy and intrinsic value fo...
This study examined teachers’ technology integration (TI) self-efficacy and technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK). We surveyed 80 K-12 mathematics teachers from urban school districts before and after a three-week professional development (PD) program. Results indicated that: a) beliefs about mathematics and mathematics instruction we...
Science education reform emphasizes innovative and constructivist views of science teaching and learning that promotes active learning environments, dynamic instructions, and authentic science experiments. Technology-based and hands-on instructional designs are among innovative science teaching and learning methods. Research shows that these two ty...
Technology is a fundamental tool for teaching and learning mathematics. It is a key enabler of continuous, lifelong learning, serving as a gateway to directly accessing knowledge and fostering learning. The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which teachers use emerging technologies and whether their habits of using technology change...
Large-scale assessments’ validity and reliability matters more than we think because accurate interpretations and sound judgments about students’ mathematical literacy depend on them. This study investigates the test dimensionality of PISA’s mathematics assessment to see the alignment between the cognitive framework for mathematical literacy and ac...
This study investigates the extent to which: (a) mathematics teachers’ educational beliefs about mathematics change upon participation in professional development, and (b) teachers’ educational background and teaching experience in mathematics contribute to their educational beliefs and to the change in these beliefs. Results showed that teachers s...
This research study analyzes PISA ’ s framework for assessing mathematical literacy from the perspective of National Research Council’s (NRC) assessment design framework, that proposes the “assessment triangle,” each corner representing: cognition, observation, and interpretation. This paper questions how actual results from PISA reflect this frame...
The purpose of this study is to investigate changes in students’ mathematics scores on Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) over time, through the following research questions: (1) How do individual’s mathematics scores on TAKS change yearly from grade7 to the exit exam (usually taken in grade11)? (2) Can we predict differences in these...
College Level Students’ Reasoning of an Optimization Problem: Historic Hotel MEA (Model-Eliciting Activity)