High School Students’ Metaphors about Literature

This research aims to reveal perceptions of high school students regarding literature with the help of metaphors. Accordingly the perceptions of students regarding literature concepts and this lesson were determined according to class level and gender. Metaphor and education concepts are related to each other. Yet metaphor and metaphorical ideation is important for students to show the ways in which they sense the world and to determine their thoughts and attitudes towards an abstract understanding such as literature. With this intention, in this study the students were asked to make metaphors regarding literature and were asked to fill the questionnaire formed as “Literature is like/similar to ….…., because; ………”. High school students in 9th-12th grade educated in a state school in Kütahya form the participants of research. Among qualitative research designs “Phenomenology” was used in the research. In analysis of data, content analysis method was included and in analysis period of metaphors elimination and selection, naming, categorizing, validity and reliability, frequency stages were followed. Based on findings obtained from research, it was found out that students can form valid metaphors regarding literature, these metaphors are highly positive and in this sense students are aware of the importance of literature. Based on the findings obtained from the study, it was observed that 187 high school students produced 75 metaphors. It has been determined that the categories that students produce most metaphors are the second and fifth categories. Another finding is that students develop a positive metaphor about literature in general