Analysing the metaphorical images of Turkish preschool teachers

Abstract

The metaphorical basis of teacher reflection about teaching and learning has been a rich area of theory and research. This is a study of metaphor as a shared system of interpretation and classification, which teachers and student teachers and their supervising teachers can cooperatively explore. This study employs metaphor as a means of research to provide insights into the prospective preschool pre‐service and their cooperating teachers’ current professional self‐images, and their retrospective elementary schooling images. A questionnaire consisting of 12 metaphorical images generated by “preschool pre‐service and their cooperating teachers” was administered to all entry level preschool pre‐bachelor, bachelor student teachers who were enrolled in the Faculty of Education in Selcuk University, Turkey, during the 2005–2006 academic years. Their cooperating teachers (n = 317), currently working in Konya, were chosen to obtain information about their current and elementary schooling years’ metaphorical images. Results of the study indicate that significant differences exist between pre‐service (pre‐bachelor and bachelor) and cooperating preschool teachers’ current and elementary schooling metaphorical images. There was a marked difference in their use of student‐centered and teacher‐centered metaphors. Implications for pre‐service and cooperating teacher education and further research are discussed.

Acknowledgements

This study is supported by the foundation of scientific research projects of Selcuk University. I would also like to thank three anonymous reviewers for their valuable contributions to the manuscript and to Gaye Bear of Teaching Education for her editorial assistance.