Investigation of the thematic and methodological trends of completed graduate theses related to mathematical modeling in the field of mathematics education

The aim of this study is to identify the thematic and methodological trends in national and international master's and doctoral theses on mathematical modeling in mathematics education. The study employs a qualitative research method with a case study design. Within the scope of the study, a total of 197 theses focusing on mathematical modeling, published in Turkish and English in the fields of mathematics education and instruction between 2013 and October 2023, were examined using the Thesis Evaluation Form. These theses were sourced from the Council of Higher Education National Thesis Center and ProQuest databases. Mendeley Reference Manager, SPSS Statistics 26 software package, and VOSviewer were utilized for data analysis. Thematic analysis and content analysis were conducted, along with bibliometric analyses such as citation analysis and keyword analysis.The results of the study indicate a significant increase in theses on mathematical modeling in 2019, a decline in 2020 and 2021, and a noticeable rise again in 2022. In Turkey, most studies on mathematical modeling are conducted at the master's level, whereas in the United States and Canada, doctoral-level studies are more common. Among the institutions, Atatürk University in Turkey and Columbia University abroad have produced the highest number of theses in this field. Regarding the distribution of topics, the most common subject is the development of modeling activities, appearing in 45 theses. In terms of learning areas, the most frequently studied topic is "Numbers and Operations", featured in 58 theses. The most commonly used research method is qualitative research (61,42%), and the most prevalent model is case study (59,39%). The most frequently used sample group consists of middle school students. Content analysis is the most frequently applied analysis method, and GeoGebra stands out as the most commonly used technology. Based on these findings, recommendations are provided for stakeholders.