The Analysis of Metaphorical Perceptions of Teachers Related to Teachers in terms of Teaching Approaches They Adopt

Abstract

This research aimed to determine the metaphorical perceptions of class teachers and reveal whether these perceptions are affected by the teaching approaches they adopt. Because teachers’ opinions were collected in written form, this study is a descriptive survey model study. The participants of the study consisted of 64 class teachers chosen through the maximum variety sampling method. A data collection tool consisting of two open-ended questions was developed to determine the metaphors and educational approaches teachers adopt. According to research results, teacher metaphors are highlighted in two categories as “metaphors giving active roles to the teacher” and “metaphors giving passive roles to the teacher”. Generally, teachers adopted one of the behaviouristic, cognitive, and constructivist approaches. This study revealed that participants who adopted behavioural and cognitive educational approaches produced metaphors giving active roles to the teacher. Participants who adopted the constructivist educational approach produced metaphors giving passive roles to the teacher. It was determined that there is a strong significant relationship between the metaphors that teachers produce and the educational approach they adopt.

Embodied metaphors in instructors narratives about their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…As proposed by Lakoff and Johnsen (2003), the use of embodied metaphors in a person's expressions or narratives could be a portal to understanding a wide range of human experiences, including time, causes, events, emotions, the self, morality, and sickness, especially among educators. In the area of teaching especially in higher education, the metaphors used by instructors reflect not just their own perceptions of reality, but also their professional views, attitudes, and practices (Akkaya, 2021). In other words, metaphors provide instructors a window into their own personal experiences, and thus, serve as "translators" of their daily encounters in life (Al-Hasnawi, 2007).…”

“…Analyzing their experiences through the investigation of metaphors used in their narratives also remain untouched. The investigation of metaphors in the narratives of play a crucial part to reveal what lies beyond what is seen (Akkaya, 2021;Lakoff and Johnson, 2019) especially among the backbone of education -teachers. Hence, it is timely to have a study that would explore how instructors have gone through the opportunities and challenges in school while at the same time facing the pressures that surround them as posed by the pandemic.…”