Abstract:

This study was carried out to put forward the Vocational Secondary and Vocational High Schools students' thoughts towards "thermal tourism" concept to describe with the help of metaphors in order to find out the perceptions that have been made. Phenomenography design was used in the study and the data were analyzed by content analysis techniques. The research was carried out in 2012-2013 academic year including 180 students attending Vocational Secondary and Vocational High Schools in Afyonkarahisar City center. Participants produced 46 different metaphors on the concept of ‘’thermal tourism''. Considering the common features of these metaphors were collected in five different categories. The research aimed to answer the following questions: (a) which metaphors were used by the teacher candidates to explain the concept of ''thermal tourism’’? (b) Given the common characteristics of the "thermal tourism" concept under which groups can be classified for the metaphors? As a result, students in general'' thermal tourism'' concept; thermal tourism students; health, the underground resources, the economic as has been seen and perceived as vacation and as a result metaphors produced by Vocational Secondary and Vocational High Schools' students can be used as a significant research tool to describe the concept of “thermal tourism” in understanding related perceptions.   Key words: Thermal tourism, Metaphor, Vocational high school, Vocational secondary school

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