Mustafa is a Turkish researcher and PhD student whose work focuses on data, digital and AI literacies, teacher professional development, and digital education. His PhD research investigates how early career primary teachers can be supported to teach data literacy through an online professional development course designed as a facilitated community of practice.
Alongside his doctoral research, Mustafa works as a Postgraduate Teaching Assistant at the University of Edinburgh. Over the past two years, he has contributed to teaching across interdisciplinary courses related to digital education, design, sustainability, inclusive heritage, and the ethics and governance of data, artificial intelligence, robotics, and autonomous systems.
Before joining the University of Edinburgh, Mustafa completed undergraduate degrees in Computer Education and Instructional Technology and Early Childhood Education at Hacettepe University, followed by a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education at Pamukkale University. He previously worked as an educational technologist at Hacettepe University and as a teacher in a public school.
His broader research interests include data, digital and AI literacies, teacher education, online professional learning, early childhood education, and STEAM education.
Thesis working title: Developing Early Career Teachers’ Data Literacy Pedagogies Through an Online Community of Practice
Supervisors: Professor Judy Robertson and Dr Serdar Abaci
Email: M.Ciftcioglu@sms.ed.ac.uk
Selected Publications
- Ciftcioglu, M., Robertson, J., & Abaci, S. (2026). Developing early career teachers’ data literacy pedagogies through an online community of practice. In Proceedings of the Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 151–156). Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. https://www.learntechlib.org/p/2128966/
- Ciftcioglu, M. (2026). Introduction to data literacy [Research brief]. Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of Glasgow. https://www.gla.ac.uk/media/Media_1277293_smxx.pdf
- Ciftcioglu, M. & Isikoglu, N. (2023). Investigation of Pre-school Teacher Candidates' Attitudes Towards Distance Education and Digital Literacy Skills in Terms of Various Variables. Gazi University Journal of Gazi Gazi Educational Faculty, 43 (1) , 147-181 . https://doi.org/10.17152/gefad.1194652
- Secim, E. S., Durmusoglu, M. C., & Ciftcioglu, M. (2021). Investigating Pre-School Children’s Perspectives of Robots through Their Robot Drawings. International Journal of Computer Science Education in Schools, 4(4), 59–83. https://doi.org/10.21585/ijcses.v4i4.112