Üniversite Öğrencilerinin, Üniversite ve Fakülte Kavramlarına İlişkin Metaforları (İnönü Üniversitesi Örneği)

Metaphors serve to express what is wanted to be uttered in a more stressed way with fewer words. In other words, it is possible to achieve the chance of uttering a complex and powerful description with fewer words by the help of metaphors. According to Altun, ―metaphor‖ (figurative expression) makes the expression more vivid, more attracting and more exciting. (Yıldırım &ġimĢek, 2008) In national an international education literatüre the studies focusing on the metaphors are quite common. For example, Ġnbar, collected 7042 metaphors about the terms of student, teacher, principal and school concepts in a study that he realized with 254 educators and 409 students. Cerit (2006), examined the perceptions that elementary school students, teachers and managers own about school conceptions via metaphors. The metaphors about school that takes place in data gathering device of the study are as follow; place of care and supervision, place of knowledge and enlightenment, place of change and development, place of growth and maturity, place of discipline and authority, chaotic environment, fun place, workplace, prison, factory, family, theatre, shelter, court, shopping mall, nice and beautiful place, team and band. The main purpose of this study was to examine the thoughts of college students about concepts of university and faculty through metaphors they produced. It was also aimed to compare the metaphors of the students about these two concepts by gender and the faculty. At this overall objective, answers of following questions are sought. 1. What are the metaphors of university students about the university concept and their reasons? 2. What are the metaphors of university students about the faculty concept and their reasons? 3. What are the metaphors of university students about the university and faculty concepts and their reasons according to their gender? 4. What are the metaphors of university students about the university and faculty concepts and their reasons according to the faculty in which they studied? This study is a qualitative research and the data was collected by the forms including openended questions. Content analysis was applied on the data obtained. The universe of the study constitutes from all the students studying at the all faculties of Ġnönü University during the academic year 2010-2011. The sample of study is determined by easily reachable state sampling technique based on purposive sampling method (Yıldırım & ġimĢek, 2008). The forms that were prepared in order to collect data were applied by the researchers at canteens and cafeterias where students stopped by extensively. The research data was collected through the forms that was prepared for students and in whose first section their gender and faculties they studied were indicated and in whose second section the metaphors and their reasons about the concepts of university and faculty took place (for example: If you were asked to liken your university to a live or in animate entity, an object, a historical personality, a plant or anything, what analogies would you use? Can you explain your reasons?). At the first stage of analysis of data, the information on the form was transferred to the computer. Metaphors collected from all participants were lined up with their descriptions and frequency analysis was applied. Then, metaphors were divided into two categories ―positive‖ ―negative‖ and grouped into various themes. University metaphors which take part in positive metaphor category include nine themes as follow; university as a storage for information, university as a preventive/reassuring place, university as a changing/developing place, university as a social/fun place, university as a living space, university as a place providing freedom, university as a production centre, university as a place combining similarities and differences, university as a place of happiness. Metaphors which take part in negative metaphor category are ranged in five themes as follow; university as a place including negative feelings, university as a non-democratic place, university as a place having borders/ indoor place, university as a unnecessary/ordinary place, university as a place directed by authority. Faculty metaphors are grouped into the same themes with university metaphors. This research that is aimed to determine the metaphors of university students about the concepts of university and faculty revealed several significant findings. The first finding is that participants produced 210 metaphors about university and 202 metaphors about faculty. Another finding is that most of the metaphors are the ones having emphasis on the positive aspects of university and faculty when the metaphors which students have about university and faculty are examined. The other finding of study is that the highest frequency occurs on the theme of university as a changing/developing place and university as a place combining similarities and differences when the metaphors about university are divided into themes and examined. In addition, it is also noteworthy that the theme that involves the fewest metaphors is the one, university as a place providing freedom.