Innovative Research Award
Zeynep Arkan
Marmara University | Turkey
Zeynep Arkan is an associate professor at Marmara University, Atatürk Faculty of Education, Department of Foreign Languages Education, Arabic Language Education Main Division. Her research addresses Arabic language teaching, translation studies, and language education policy, with a Scopus record of 2 documents, 8 citations, and an h-index of 1 [1]. She is affiliated with Top Teachers Awards in the Innovative Research Award category [4].
Abstract
This article documents the academic profile of Zeynep Arkan in relation to the Innovative Research Award category of Top Teachers Awards. Her indexed record includes work on CEFR-based listening activities in Arabic textbooks and on literacy skills and digital well-being, published in international refereed journals [6][5]. The profile summarises bibliometric indicators, research contributions, and award suitability in a neutral scholarly register [1].
Keywords
- Arabic language teaching
- Language education
- Translation studies
- CEFR
- Digital well-being
- Innovative Research Award
Introduction
Zeynep Arkan is an associate professor at Marmara University, Atatürk Faculty of Education, Department of Foreign Languages Education, Arabic Language Education Main Division, a position held from 3 April 2026 [1]. She previously served as associate professor at Istanbul Technical University and at Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University, and as assistant professor from 16 November 2020 [2]. Her doctoral thesis at Gazi University examined the work Te’allem el Arabiyye in terms of Arabic teaching and education techniques, supervised by Prof. Dr. Ahmet Bostancı [1].
Her master’s thesis at Sakarya University analysed the San Diego State University Foundation example in the professional development of Arabic teachers under Prof. Dr. Musa Yıldız [1]. She completed her bachelor’s degree in Arabic Language and Literature at Selçuk University in 1993 [2]. Her Scopus subject area is Language Education, with 2 documents, 8 citations, and an h-index of 1 [1].
Research Profile
The Scopus author record lists an affiliation with Marmara University and a subject area of Language Education, with 2 documents and 8 citations yielding an h-index of 1 [1]. Google Scholar reports a broader record of 55 documents, 132 citations, and an h-index of 6 [3]. ORCID records the researcher identifier 0000-0003-0534-186X [2]. These indicators are presented descriptively rather than evaluatively [3].
Supervision activity includes master’s theses completed in 2023, 2024, and 2025 at Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University on topics such as Orientalist discourse and translation, United Nations translation practices, cultural transfer in Arabic subtitling, and idiom translation strategies [2]. She has contributed to national projects including the Arabic Teachers Professional Development Certificate Program (2019–2020) and the Social Inclusion Education Program Development Project (2020–2021) [1].
Research Contributions
Research contributions centre on Arabic language teaching, curriculum and textbook evaluation, and translation theory. A 2026 study evaluated listening activities in Arabic language teaching textbooks used in Turkey in light of CEFR criteria, published in the Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education [6]. A 2025 systematic review in BMC Psychology examined the relationship between school-age students’ literacy skills and digital well-being [5].
Further work addresses translation strategies and culture-specific items, including a study of Zekeriyyâ Tâmir’s story el-Aʿdâʾ in Turkish translation [7]. Authored books include TEOG Yerleştirme Sistemi: Güçlükler ve Öneriler (SETA, 2017), co-authored with Z. Çelik, N. Boz, and D. Toklucu [8]. Book chapters cover translation theories including Chesterman’s norm theory, Koller’s equivalence theory, Venuti’s domestication and foreignization, Toury’s target-oriented theory, Newmark’s semantic and communicative translation, Even-Zohar’s polysystem theory, and Popovič’s shift of expression model [2].
Publications
Zeynep Arkan’s publications include a 2026 CEFR-based evaluation of listening activities in Arabic textbooks in the Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education [6], and a 2025 systematic review on literacy skills and digital well-being in BMC Psychology [5]. She also published on translation shifts in Zekeriyyâ Tâmir’s el-Aʿdâʾ [7] and co-authored the SETA report TEOG Yerleştirme Sistemi [8].
Additional articles appear in Lisani İlimler Dergisi, Uluslararası Toplumsal Bilimler Dergisi, Söylem Filoloji Dergisi, the European Journal of Literature, Language and Linguistics Studies, and Education Quarterly Reviews, among others [1].
Research Impact
Scopus metrics record 8 citations across 2 documents, giving an h-index of 1 in the Language Education subject area [1]. Google Scholar metrics indicate 132 citations across 55 documents with an h-index of 6, reflecting a wider citation footprint that includes book chapters and national journal articles [3]. The difference between databases reflects indexing coverage rather than differences in scholarly output [2]. Dissemination activity includes papers presented at international scientific meetings, such as the International Conference on Arabic Studies & Islamic Civilization (2020), the AELTE 2023 Conference, and the ISLARA International Islamic Researches Congress (2022) [1]. Contributions to edited volumes on translation theory further extend the reach of this work [2].
Award Suitability
The Innovative Research Award category of Top Teachers Awards recognises research contributions in education [4]. Zeynep Arkan’s record includes international refereed articles on CEFR-based textbook evaluation and on literacy and digital well-being, alongside systematic supervision of master’s theses and participation in national education projects [6][5]. Prior recognition includes a Best Presenter Award from Kolej Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Selangor, Malaysia (2020), an Egyptian Government language education scholarship (2012–2013), and an IIUM education scholarship (1996–1999) [1]. On this basis the profile is consistent with the award’s emphasis on innovative and internationally visible research in language education, presented here in neutral descriptive terms without evaluative claims [4].
Conclusion
Zeynep Arkan’s profile combines Arabic language teaching, translation studies, and language education research with a documented Scopus record and broader Google Scholar visibility [1][3]. Her indexed publications, thesis supervision, and project participation form a coherent basis for consideration in the Innovative Research Award category [4]. All indicators are reported as recorded in the cited sources [2].
External Links
References
- Elsevier. (n.d.). Scopus author details: Zeynep Arkan, Author ID 60736025900. Scopus.
https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=60736025900
- ORCID. (n.d.). Zeynep Arkan, ORCID iD 0000-0003-0534-186X. ORCID Registry.
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0534-186X
- Google Scholar. (n.d.). Zeynep Arkan: Citations, documents, and h-index. Google Scholar.
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=DC-a_kIAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
- Top Teachers Awards. (n.d.). Innovative Research Award: Award criteria and nomination information. Top Teachers Awards.
https://topteachers.net/
- Arkan, Z., & Bal, M. (2025). The relationship between school-age students’ literacy skills and digital well-being: A systematic review. BMC Psychology, 13(1), Article 1240.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-03573-4
- Arkan, Z. (2026). Evaluation of listening activities in Arabic language teaching textbooks used in Turkey in light of the CEFR criteria. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education, 11(1), Article 10.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-025-00366-5
- Güzeler, F. B., & Arkan, Z. (2022). Zekeriyyâ Tâmir’in el-Aʿdâʾ adlı öyküsünün Türkçe çevirisinde deyiş kaydırmaları. Afyon Kocatepe Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 24(4), 1241–1252.
https://doi.org/10.32709/akusosbil.1032706
- Çelik, Z., Boz, N., Arkan, Z., & Toklucu, D. (2017). TEOG yerleştirme sistemi: Güçlükler ve öneriler. SETA Yayınları.
https://avesis.aybu.edu.tr/yayin/f330e5b0-45ad-4a96-9ae1-8987ff1d3a7c/teog-yerlestirme-sistemi-guclukler-ve-oneriler