Metaphoric Perceptions of Primary School Teacher Candidates on the Concept of Social Science and Its Teaching

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine the perceptions of classroom teacher candidates towards the concept and teaching of social sciences through metaphors. In the 2018-2019 academic year, the Department of primary education of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Lefke European University, Faculty of Education 1., 2., 3. and 4. there are 119 candidates of teachers who study in the classroom. Phenomenology design, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the study. The data of the study was obtained through a semi-structured interview form. Content analysis technique was used in the analysis of the data. In this context, he produced 61 metaphors aimed at the concept of social sciences by participants. The metaphors produced were collected under 4 different conceptual categories. The metaphors produced by the class teacher candidates for the concept of social sciences were collected in 4 categories, “social –vital, interdisciplinary, cultural resource and primary education” respectively. The number of metaphors (f=27) in the “social-vital” category is greater when the metaphors developed by the teacher candidates according to the categories created for the concept of social sciences are taken into account. The most repeated in this category has been the metaphor of life (f=20). The classroom teacher candidates produced 69 metaphors for teaching social sciences. The metaphors developed for the teaching of social sciences in line with the explanations made by the participants were grouped into 4 categories: “meeting social needs, interdisciplinary, knowledge transfer, cultural transfer,” “When the metaphors developed by the teacher candidates according to the categories are taken into consideration, it is observed that the number of metaphors (f=31) in the “meeting the social needs” category for social sciences teaching is higher. The most repeated teaching of values in this category has been the metaphor (f=8).