Postdoctoral Research Conducted in the United States by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Filiz KARADAĞ ÜÇDAL with the Support of TÜBİTAK 2219 International Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Filiz KARADAĞ ÜÇDAL served as a research fellow at Montclair State University, United States, for a period of 12 months during the 2023–2024 academic year, supported by the TÜBİTAK 2219 International Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program. Under the academic supervision of Prof. Dr. Pablo TINIO, an internationally recognized scholar in gifted education, and Prof. Dr. David KENNEDY, one of the pioneers in the field of Philosophy for Children (P4C), she conducted a research project titled:
“The Effect of Philosophy with Children Curriculum Enriched with Thinking Tools on the Inquiry Skills of Gifted Children: A Cross-Cultural Study in Turkey and the United States.” At later stages of the research, Prof. Dr. Joseph RENZULLI (University of Connecticut), a globally renowned expert in gifted education, also contributed to the study.
The aim of the research was to examine the impact of a Philosophy for Children (P4C) curriculum enriched with thinking tools on the inquiry skills of gifted children within a cross-cultural framework. The developed curriculum was initially implemented and tested in schools for gifted students in New Jersey, USA, and later, in 2025, it was applied at a Science and Art Center (BİLSEM) in Izmir, Turkey, enabling cross-cultural comparisons.
The findings of the study revealed that the integration of philosophical inquiry with thinking tools effectively supports the cognitive development of gifted children. The results were compiled and published as a scientific study in 2025.
This postdoctoral research not only presents a model for how inquiry-based learning can be integrated into cross-cultural educational practices, but also offers an innovative curriculum designed to foster critical thinking, inquiry, and reasoning skills among gifted students.