Students and Teachers’ Metaphors about Classroom Teachers

The purpose of this study is to identify the metaphors that primary, secondary and high school students and classroom teacher candidates and the classroom teachers have regarding their primary school classroom teachers. The phenomenology pattern as one of the qualitative research methods was used in the research. The study group was determined by the purposeful criterion sampling method. The basic criterion in the research is that the participants are in the final grade of elementary, secondary, high school and are in the undergraduate 3rd and 4th grade students classroom teachers education program, and the class teachers who are still working. Participants' answers to the question “My primary school teacher is like ... Because ...” were analyzed both by qualitative and quantitative research methods. According to the findings of the study, 167 metaphors were produced and they were grouped under ten conceptual categories. There were no significant differences in these 10 conceptual categories regarding the elementary, secondary and high school students, university students and classroom teachers. Obtained results point out that the influences of the teachers on the individuals are evident. These results may be shared with faculties of education and help to give the teacher candidates a proper training for educating their students with positive attitudes in the future.