Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Türk Eğitim Bilimleri Dergisi, cilt.22, sa.1, ss.65-89, 2024 (Hakemli Dergi)
This study aimed to reveal pre-service teachers' perceptions of critical thinking through the
metaphor analysis method. The study was conducted using the phenomenology design, one
of the qualitative research designs. The study included 244 teacher candidates studying
German, computer and instructional technologies, science, primary mathematics, English,
preschool, special education, guidance and psychological counselling, art, classroom, social
studies, and Turkish teaching. To reveal the perception of critical thinking, “Critical thinking
is like … Because …" The teacher candidate completed the statement. The data obtained was
analyzed and interpreted using the content analysis method. Based on their similarities and
common features, 140 different metaphors were grouped under nine themes. The themes are
listed based on their frequency values as follows: "object," "life," "natural environment,"
"profession," "abstract concept," "perspective," "family and social environment," "part of the
body" and "innovation." When the themes were examined in terms of gender, it was
observed that female teacher candidates were predominant in the categories of "object,"
"natural environment," "abstract concept" and "part of the body." However, it was
determined that the weights of male and female teacher candidates were similar in the
categories of "life," "profession," "perspective," "family and social environment" and
"innovation." There is no category where male teacher candidates are entirely dominant.