Abstract:

The aim of this study is to explore the prospective history teacher’s beliefs about history teachers by using metaphor analysis. Data were gathered from 72 (4th and 5th) student teachers. Participants were asked to complete the sentences in writing such as “The history teacher looks like… because…” with metaphors they choose. Data were analysed using qualitative (content and descriptive analysis) techniques. According to the data, 63 metaphors were developed by the candidates. These metaphors were grouped under 6 main categories, namely; “history teacher as transformer of historical knowledge”, “history teacher as a carrier of historical knowledge”, “history teacher as a guide/lightener for the students”, , “ history teacher as a gatekeeper of curriculum” “history teacher as a community changer” and “history teacher as a history researcher”. Among these, the most commonly used metaphors were ‘history teacher as a transformer’ and ‘carrier of the historical knowledge’. This result was discussed in respect to the aims of history teaching and some recommendations were provided for the history teacher educators.

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