Academic Profile

Prof. Dr Ayşe Oya Erkut is a Professor at Marmara University Faculty of Sport Sciences in Physical Education and Sport Education. Her academic work centres on movement education, motor development, motor behaviour, gymnastics, balance and coordination, combining a long university teaching career with extensive practical experience in artistic gymnastics.

She completed her undergraduate education at Dokuz Eylül University in 1990, her master’s degree at the same university in 1994, and her doctorate at Marmara University in 2003. Her doctoral work examined the effects of rhythm education on complex gymnastics skill learning and motor characteristics.

Sporting & Professional Background

Prof. Erkut represented Türkiye as a national artistic gymnastics athlete and achieved national championship success together with international competitive experience. Beyond her own athletic career, she has worked in coaching and judging and has contributed to gymnastics education and federation-level training structures.

Her university teaching has included motor development, educational games, gymnastics, artistic gymnastics teaching practice and postgraduate study in motor behaviour. This combination of competitive sport, coaching, judging and academic research provides a strong bridge between movement theory and practical skill instruction.

Contribution to EFWA

Within EFWA, Prof. Erkut contributes expertise in movement education, motor-learning principles, coordination, balance and instructor pedagogy. Her perspective supports the Academy’s aim of developing instructors who understand how movement skills are learned, taught and progressed rather than relying only on exercise demonstration.