Assistant Professor of Science Education
Department of Learning, Teaching, & Curriculum
College of Education & Human Development
University of Missouri-Columbia
Where I've Worked
August 2023 –
Assistant Professor, Science Education
With Graduate Faculty Status, 2023
Department of Learning, Teaching, & Curriculum
College of Education & Human Development
University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
August 2022 – July 2023
Research Associate, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Emily Adah Miller, Advisor
January 2022 – May 2022
Instructor of Record, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
ESCI4420 Science for Elementary Education
August 2021 – December 2021
Instructor of Record, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
ESCI4420 Science for Elementary Education
January 2021 – May 2021
Instructor of Record, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
ESCI4420 Science for Elementary Education
August 2017 – May 2020
Graduate Research Assistant, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Project Title: Abstraction in Modeling through Synthesis to Learn the Nature of Models (National Science Foundation DRK12 Program, Award #1720966)
PI: Daniel Capps, Co-PI: Jonathan Shemwell
August 2018 – December 2018
Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
ESCI4420 Science for Elementary Education
September 2012 – February 2015
Educational Specialist
Division of Measurement and Assessment
Turkish Education Association, Ankara, Turkey
September 2010 – June 2012
Science Instructor
Zafer Education Center, Ankara, Turkey
June 2010 – August 2010
Undergraduate Research Assistant (Internship Program)
Ankara University Biotechnology Institute, Central Laboratory, Department of Genetics, Ankara, Turkey (https://biotek.ankara.edu.tr/en/)
January 2009 – June 2010
Science Instructor
Educational Volunteers Foundation of Turkey (TEGV), Ankara, Turkey
Research Projects
2023 Early-Career Research Fellowship, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine-Gulf Research Program, Role: Principal Investigator, Grant period: 2024-2026, $76,000 (Leveraging elementary students’ local knowledge and languages through placemaking pedagogies and futures thinking in climate change education).
Rural Education Initiative, College of Education & Human Development, The University of Missouri, Role: Co-PI, Grant period: 2024-2025, $50,000 (Supporting teachers of refugee-background youth in rural communities through culturally and linguistically sustaining multi-disciplinary literacy practices).
Scholarly Activities
Publications
*publication with a graduate student or a postdoc
Adah Miller, E., & Fackler, A. (in production). Guest Co-Editorial: Expanding science knowledge through expansive science teaching practices. [Special issue: “Expansive Science Teaching Practices”]. Science & Children, 61(6), 1-2.
Fackler, A. K., & Pavez, J. M. (in production). Chapter 7: Health equity in a microscopic world: Infectious diseases and access to healthcare. In David Steele & Alison Mercier (Eds.), Justice-oriented anchoring phenomena. Springer.
Reigh, E. V., Adah Miller, E., Fackler, A. K., & Simani, M. C. (2024). “It’s just a hot mess”: Supporting teacher praxis to challenge barriers for multilingual learners. Science Education. [Online first] https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.21917
Fackler, A. K., & Wright, G. W. (2024). TRANSforming language use in science education through trans and queer studies. Journal of Research in Science Teaching. [Online first] https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21981
Fackler, A. K. (2024). “I thought that they were very cut and dry”: Preservice elementary science teachers learning about and learning with models and modeling. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 1-23. [Online first] https://doi.org/10.1080/1046560X.2024.2380549
*Fackler, A. K., Zangori, L. A., Mahapatra, S., Xu, Z., & Sadler, T. D. (2024). A case of middle schoolers reasoning with multiple models in science learning: Quantitative, qualitative, or both?. In Lindgren, R., Asino, T. I., Kyza, E. A., Looi, C. K., Keifert, D. T., & Suárez, E. (Eds.), Proceedings of the 18th International Conference of the Learning Sciences - ICLS 2024 (pp. 2273-2274). International Society of the Learning Sciences. https://doi.org/10.22318/icls2024.160837
*Fackler, A. K., Miller Adah, E., Li, T. (2024). Promoting meaningful and equitable modeling practices in online science instruction. Science & Children, 61(6), 25-31. https://doi.org/10.1080/00368148.2023.2292328
Fackler, A. K., & Capps, D. (2024). “If you wanted to take this model and throw nitrogen at it, it would fit”: Synthesis approach to modelling to learn about biogeochemical cycles. International Journal of Science Education, 46(5), 421-439. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2023.2240524
Fackler, A. K. (2023). The good, the bad, and the misunderstood: Developing and using models. In S. Jeong, L. A. Bryan, D. J. Tippins, & C. M. Sexton (Eds.), Navigating elementary science teaching and learning: Cases of classroom practices and dilemmas (pp. 347-349). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33418-4_67
Shemwell, J. T., Capps, D. K., Fackler, A. K., & Coogler, C. H. (2023). Integrative analysis using big ideas: Energy transfer and cellular respiration. Journal of Science Education and Technology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-023-10040-5
Fackler, A. K. (2021). When science denial meets epistemic understanding of knowledge production in science: Fostering a research agenda for science education. Science & Education, 30(3), 445-461. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-021-00198-y
Fackler, A. K. (2021). International doctoral students' experiences in a host culture. In B. Pletcer, F. Bruun, R. Banda, K. Watson, & A. S. Perez (Eds.), Empowering student researchers: Critical contributions by emerging 21st century scholars, pp. 101-120. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
Fackler, A. K., & Sexton, C. M. (2020). Science teacher education in the time of COVID-19: A document analysis. Electronic Journal of Research in Science & Mathematics Education, 24(3), 5-13.
Fackler, A. K. (2020). How do we teach science the Dewey way?. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 56(4), 148-150. https://doi.org/10.1080/00228958.2020.1813499
Karaşahinoğlu, A., & Kutlu, Ö. (2018). The perception of testing in pupil’s drawings. Journal of Educational Sciences Research, 8(1), 1-18. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.22521/jesr.2018.81.1
Babadoğan, C., Kassenova, S., & Karaşahinoğlu, A. (2014). Öğretmenlerin öğrenme ve öğretme stillerinin bazı değişkenler açısından incelenmesi (Investigation of elementary school teachers' learning and teaching styles). Journal of Educational Sciences and Practices, 13(26), 125-146.
Work submitted but not yet accepted
Fackler, A. K. (revised & resubmitted). Journal of Diversity in Higher Education.
Fackler, A. K., & Harman, R. M. (minor revisions). Science Education.
Fackler, A. K. (in review). Teaching and Teacher Education.
Fackler, A. K., & Adah Miller, E. (in review). TESOL Journal.
Conference Presentations
*presentation with a graduate student or a postdoc, ^ presentation with a classroom teacher
Fackler, A. K. (2025, April). Riding semantic waves: Leveraging diverse language resources in disciplinary science practices for equitable meaning making. Paper accepted for the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Denver, CO.
Fackler, A. K. (2025, April). Using an epistemic injustice lens to (re)construct a doctoral mentoring relationship in science education. Paper accepted for the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Denver, CO.
Steele, D., Mercier, A., Herrick, I., Kier, M., Fackler, A. K., Wright, G., Gist, J., Fantacone, D., & Sell, C. (2025, January). Justice-oriented anchoring phenomenon. Exploratory session accepted for the Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE) Conference, Long Beach, CA.
*^Sergeant, A., Theard, E., Adah Miller, E., Deluca, J., Tran, H., Huang, Y., Fackler, A. K. (2024, November). Building on students’ experiences to teach climate change aligned to science standards with 4th and 5th graders. Workshop presented at the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) Conference, New Orleans, LA.
*^Champagne, A., Adah Miller, E., Deluca, J., Tran, H., Huang, Y., Fackler, A. K. (2024, November). Using integrated (NGSS/CCSS) project-based learning to support use of literacy and (age-appropriate) understanding of climate change in early elementary science classrooms. Workshop presented at the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) Conference, New Orleans, LA.
Fackler, A. K., Zangori, L., Xu, Z., & Sadler, T. (2024, June). A case of middle schoolers reasoning with multiple models in science learning: Quantitative, qualitative, or both? Poster presented at the annual meeting of the International Society of the Learning Sciences, Buffalo, NY.
Fackler, A. K. (2024, April). (Un)packing meanings with/in multimodal modeling practices in science. Paper accepted for the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Philadelphia, PA.
Ayano, E., Miller, E. A., & Fackler, A. K. (2024, April). Exploring science teachers’ reflection on making their classrooms social justice-oriented environments. Paper accepted for the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Philadelphia, PA.
Fackler, A. K., & Harman, R. (2024, March). The language of science vs. A language for science: Rethinking language and scientific modeling practices. Paper accepted for the annual meeting of the American Association for Applied Linguistics, Houston, TX.
Zangori, L., Fackler, A. K., Xu, Z., Sadler, T. D., & Mahapatra, S. (2024, March). Exploring model-based reasoning through multiple models of a socio-scientific issue. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, Denver, CO.
Fackler, A. K. (2024, March). A case of preservice elementary teachers making meaning through modeling practices. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, Denver, CO.
Reigh, E. V., Miller, E. A., Fackler, A. K., & Simani, M. C. (2024, March). “It’s just a hot mess”: Supporting teacher praxis to challenge barriers for multilingual learners. Related Paper Set presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, Denver, CO.
Fackler, A. K. (2023, April). Using multimodal modeling practices to leverage learners’ linguistic resources in knowledge-building in science. Poster presented for the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.
Fackler, A. K. (2023, April). Modeling to (re)think scientific language: A case of preservice elementary teachers building knowledge. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, Chicago, IL.
Reigh, E. V., Miller, E. A., Fackler, A. K., & Simani, M. C. (2023, April). Supporting language in science through encouraging teacher criticality. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, Chicago, IL.
Fackler, A. K. (2023, January). “I thought that they were very cut and dry”: Preservice elementary science teachers learning with/about models and modeling. Paper presented at the Association for Science Teacher Education International Conference, Salt Lake City, UT.
Fackler, A. K. (2022, April). Learning how to mean through multimodality embedded in modeling – “scientifically” speaking. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA.
Fackler, A. K. (2022, March). Learning how to build knowledge in science through multimodality embedded in modeling. Paper presented at the Southeastern Universities Graduate Research Symposium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Fackler, A. K. (2022, March). When multimodality meets modeling: A case study of preservice elementary teachers building knowledge in science. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, Vancouver, BC.
Fackler, A. K. (2022, March). A case of revealing preservice elementary science teachers' understanding of models and modeling through reflections. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, Vancouver, BC.
Fackler, A. K. (2022, January). Understanding identity in preservice elementary science teachers’ science learning experience essays. Paper presented at the Association for Science Teacher Education International Conference, Greenville, SC.
Fackler, A. K. (2021, April). A new perspective on multimodality in science learning and teaching. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, [online].
Fackler, A. K. (2021, April). Selecting parts of history of developing and using models: Are modeling practices really new generation? Poster presented for the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, [online].
Fackler, A. K., Coogler, C., Capps, D., & Shemwell, J. (2021, April). Learning cellular respiration through models and modeling: A case of and for constructing gapless explanations. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, [online].
Fackler, A. K., Capps, D., & Shemwell, J. (2021, April). Using Rasch to explore students’ understanding of energy: A modeling-based intervention study. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, [online].
Fackler, A. K., & Sexton, C. (2021, January). Science teacher education in the time of COVID-19. Paper presented at the Association for Science Teacher Education International Conference, [online].
Fackler, A. K. (2020, February). Dewey’s ideas of education through seven themes. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Southeast Philosophy of Education Society, Athens, GA.
Fackler, A. K. (2020, March). A review of empirical literature: Cognitive processes framing modeling practices in science education. Poster accepted for the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, Portland, OR. (Conference canceled)
Fackler, A. K., Coogler, C., Capps, D., & Shemwell, J. (2020, March). The affordances of integrating crosscutting concepts and modeling: Improving science learning with a connective structure. Paper accepted for the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, Portland, OR. (Conference canceled)
Capps, D., Shemwell, J., Fackler, A. K., & Coogler, C. (2020, March). How modeling can help students condense meaning within language. Paper accepted for the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, Portland, OR. (Conference canceled)
Shemwell, J., Capps, D., Fackler, A. K., Love, K., May, M. M., Smith, E., & Coogler, C. (2020, April). How do you teach cellular respiration? Harnessing models for understanding. Workshop accepted for the NSTA Conference, Boston, MA. (Conference canceled)
Fackler, A. K. (2020, April). Experiencing the culture in science majors. Paper selected as a top 10 finalist for the AERA Division D In-Progress Research Gala at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA. (Conference canceled)
Fackler, A. K. (2020, May). "I’m trying to fit in": International doctoral students' experiences in a host culture. Paper accepted for the meeting of the 16th International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, Urbana, IL. (Conference canceled)
Coogler, C., Fackler, A. K., Shemwell, J., & Capps, D. (2019, October). How modeling instruction can promote learning, understanding, and transfer in science. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Teaching and Curriculum, Birmingham, AL.
Capps, D., Shemwell, J., Fackler, A. K., Coogler, C., Leary, E., & Kirk, E. (2019, April). Escaping the narrative: Helping teachers understand how models can bring structure to complex science explanations. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, Baltimore, MA.
Capps, D., Shemwell, J., May, M. M., Kirk, E., Yauck, J., Fackler, A. K., Leary, E., & Coogler, C. (2019, February). Workshop: The AiMS Project: Tackling difficult biology concepts using an energy model. Georgia Science Teachers Association, Columbus, GA.
Karasahinoglu, A., & Capps, D. K. (2018, March). Learning that models are abstract: A description of the learning processes within synthesis modeling. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, Atlanta, GA.
Karaşahinoğlu, A., Arslan, P., Sarıkaya, R. (2016, May). Investigation of toxicity of hydroxyurea on Drosophila melanogaster (mwhxflr3). Paper presented at the International Congress of Forensic Toxicology, Ankara, Turkey.
Invited Talks & Interviews
2023 – Invited Speaker Session, A Mentoring Session for First-Generation Doctoral Students – 2023 AERA Graduate Student Council.
2023 – Turkey & Syria Earthquakes – The Red & Black, UGA
2022 – AERA Proposal Writing Webinar – AERA Science Teaching and Learning SIG
2022 – Turkish Education System – ETAP2200: Education Around the World, UGA
2021 – Science Denialism – COVID-TASER Research Team, UGA
2021 – International Student Advisory Board – Fala Aí: Voices from the Global South
2021 – Research Talk – Department of Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Education Recruitment, UGA
2020 – COVID and International Students – The Red & Black, UGA
Research Training & Professional Learning
October 2024 | Mentoring at Mizzou, Office of the Provost & Graduate School, University of Missouri
August 2024 - Present | Connection, Office of the Provost, University of Missouri
2024 – 2026 | Learning and Expanding Abilities for Professoriate Cohort Fellows Program (LEAP), Office of the Provost, University of Missouri
May 2024 – August 2024 | NARST Early-Career Institute
May 2024 – July 2024 | National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity Faculty Success Program
July 2021 – February 2022 | Journal of Research in Science Teaching (JRST) Early-Career Reviewer Pathway Program
June 2021 | Sandra K. Abell Institute for Doctoral Students at Humboldt State University sponsored by NARST
May 2021 | Advanced Methods Institute: Advancing Culturally Responsive Research and Researchers, College of Education & Human Ecology’s QualLab, The Ohio State University