College of Education and Human Development

Department of Curriculum and Instruction

Selin Akgün

  • Pronouns: she/her/hers

  • Assistant Professor

Areas of interest

- Elementary science teacher education

- Sensemaking in elementary science classrooms

- Equity and justice-oriented perspectives in teaching and learning science 

- Identity work within formal and informal contexts

- AI and ethics in education

- Qualitative Research

Degrees

PhD, Curriculum, Instruction, and Teacher Education, Michigan State University

MA, Primary Education, Bogazici University

BS, Primary Science Education, Bogazici University

Biography

I am an assistant professor in science education. I earned my BS and MA degrees in primary science education from Bogazici University in Istanbul, Turkey. I earned my PhD in curriculum, instruction, and teacher education from Michigan State University. I worked as a science teacher both in formal and informal settings in Turkey, and worked with elementary science teachers to cultivate equitable sensemaking experiences for students in the Midwest, US. My research focuses on how to work towards equity and justice-oriented elementary science classrooms where students make sense of and develop critical consciousness towards science phenomena. In my research, I also aim to build on the ongoing work of teacher identity construction in science education using longitudinal qualitative research design. To do so, I study to capture developing teacher identity by considering individual, collective, and practice-level conceptions, and experiences that teachers hold and develop over time. Finally, my research focuses on how to teach the core concepts, ethical and societal aspects, and community components of AI to support elementary students’ critical AI literacy in formal and informal science/STEM contexts.

Publications

Akgun, S., & Greenhow, C. (2021). Artificial intelligence in education: Addressing ethical challenges in K-12 settings. AI and Ethics, 1-10. 

Akgun, S. & Kaya, E. (2020). How do university students perceive the nature of science? Science & Education, 29, 299-330. 

Akgun, S. (2021). Supporting students in figuring out phenomena, in J. Krajcik & B. Schneider (Eds.) Science education through multiple literacies: Project-Based learning in elementary school (pp. 17-33). Harvard Education Press.

Adah Miller, E., Makori, H., Akgun, S., Miller, C., Li, T., & Codere, S. (2022). Including teachers in the social justice equation of project-based learning: A response to Lee & Grapin. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 59(9), 1726–1732. 

Erduran, S., Kaya, E., Cilekrenkli, A., Akgun, S., & Aksoz, B. (2020). Perceptions of nature of science emerging in group discussions: A comparative account of pre-service teachers from Turkey and England. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education. 

Kaya, E., Erduran, S., Aksoz, B., & Akgun, S. (2019). Reconceptualized family resemblance approach to nature of science in pre-service science teacher education. International Journal of Science Education, 41(1), 21-47. 

Kaya, E., Erduran, S., Akgun, S., & Aksoz, B. (2017). Öğretmen eğitiminde bilimin doğası: Bütünsel bir yaklaşım. Necatibey Eğitim Fakültesi Elektronik Fen ve Matematik Eğitimi Dergisi, 11(2), 464-501. 

Akgun, S. Using effective driving questions in science to help make sense of the world. Edutopia. 

Akgun, S., Miller, E., & Codere, S. Family interviews to promote equity and engagement in science. Edutopia.

Associations and Membership

American Education Research Association (AERA) 

European Science Education Research Association (ESERA) 

National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) 

International Society of the Learning Sciences (ISLS) 

International History, Philosophy, and Science Teaching Group (IHPST) 

Science Educators for Equity, Diversity, & Social Justice (SEEDS)

News Stories

MSU College of Education News Post – Exploring the ethics of artificial intelligence in K-12 education (https://education.msu.edu/news/2021/exploring-the-ethics-of-artificial-intelligence-in-k-12-education/). Posted on November 3, 2021. 

The Sci-Files podcast interview on educational research during pandemic (https://impact89fm.org/95450/podcasts/the-sci-files-02-21-2021-selin-akgun-educational- research-during-a-pandemic/). Posted on February 22, 2021. 

Bogazici University News Post – Boğaziçili öğrenciler bilimi nasıl algılıyor? (https://haberler.boun.edu.tr/en/node/20400). Posted on March 16, 2020.