Primary School Teacher Candidates’ Metaphorical Perceptions Related to Multigrade Classes Concept

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to determine the teacher candidates’ perceptions related to
‘multigrade classes’ concept through metaphors. The study was conducted with the students who studied at
their fourth (final) year in the Primary School Teaching Program, Faculty of Education at University of Bayburt
in 2013-2014 academic year. The participants of the study were composed of 78 teacher candidates in total, 36
of them were girls and 42 of them were boys. The data collected in the research were obtained through an
interview form in which there was an incomplete sentence like “The multigrade classes resemble…because ...”
In the process of collecting data, the teacher candidates were asked to write metaphors related to multigrade
classes with the first justifications coming to their minds. In this study, phenomenology design, one of the
qualitative research methods, was used and the research data were analyzed by means of the content analysis
technique. According to the findings, the teacher candidates developed 60 different and valid metaphors in total
about multigrade classes. The metaphors were classified under six different conceptual categories. These
categories were classified in the form of multigrade classes as diversity in social-cognitive level and abilities,
the process of challenging struggle, complementary-supportive service environment, source of life, family
atmosphere and hierarchical order. It was found that the most preferred metaphors developed by the teacher
candidates were extended family, family, flower garden, lush forest and Ashura