Prof. ÖMER ACAR

Dr. Ömer Acar completed his primary education at Fethiye Cumhuriyet Primary School in 1988, secondary education at Uşak Anatolian High School in 1992, and high school education at Gaziantep Science High School in 1995. He completed his undergraduate education in 2000, graduating from the Physics Teaching Program in the Department of Mathematics and Science Education at Gazi University Faculty of Education. After working as a short-term contract physics teacher and permanent classroom teacher within the Ministry of National Education, he received a scholarship for graduate education abroad provided by the Higher Education Council in 2003. Subsequently, he was appointed as a research assistant at the Department of Primary Education, Faculty of Education, Kocaeli University, and enrolled at Ohio State University in 2004 to pursue his doctoral studies. He completed his doctoral studies under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Arthur L. White and received a doctorate in science education by the Ohio State University Graduate School in 2009. In his doctoral work, he developed an intervention program aimed at developing argumentation skills of preservice science teachers in the United States in a bachelor's-level course focused on pedagogical content knowledge. He implemented this intervention program under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Bruce R. Patton, the course instructor. Dr. Acar received the title of associate professor by the Inter-University Council in 2018 and the title of professor by the Kocaeli University Board of Directors in 2025. Dr. Acar has projects, articles, books, and master's thesis advisories on middle school students' higher-order thinking skills, affective and cognitive factors affecting science achievement, and school- and gender-based achievement differences in science. Dr. Acar is married and has one child. In his personal life, he enjoys reading books, walking, and watching movies.