Metaphorical Perceptions of Preservice Teachers Enrolled in Different Departments About the Concept of “Art”: The Case of Bartın University, Faculty of Education

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify, using metaphors, the perceptions of preservice teachers, who study in different departments at the Faculty of Education of Bartın University, about the concept of “art”. The study is based on the case study model, which is one of the qualitative research methods, and the study group consists of 198 preservice teachers who are enrolled in the programs of Turkish Language Education, Social Sciences Education, Psychological Counselling and Guidance (PCG), Science Education, Elementary Mathematics Education, Foreign Language Education, and Primary Education at Bartın University, Faculty of Education. The research data were obtained through the “Art Metaphor Survey Form” and analysed using the content analysis method. Based on the research results, the metaphors for the concept of art were grouped under 9 categories including “art as born and enhanced under difficulties and pressure”, “art as a complex structure”, “art as the fruits of labour”, “art as reflective and expressive”, “art as relaxing”, “art as immersive”, “art as a vital need”, “art as liberating” and “art as radiant and supportive”. The results also revealed that preservice teachers enrolled in different programs interpreted art considering different semantic properties. In this context, it was observed that preservice teachers in Turkish Language and Social Sciences Education Programs mainly described art as “liberating”, those in PCG as “reflective and expressive”, those in Science Education as “relaxing”, and those in Elementary Mathematics Education as “a vital need”. On the other hand, preservice teachers in Foreign Language Education Program focused on two different categories and described art as “complex” and “reflective and expressive”, whereas those in Primary Education mostly characterised art as “reflective and expressive”.