Investigation of Metaphoric Perceptions of Primary Mathematics Teachers on the Concept of Game

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to examine the meanings that primary school mathematics teachers attribute to the concept of "game" by using metaphorical expressions. In this study, phenomenology design, one of the qualitative research methods, was used to examine the metaphorical perceptions of primary school mathematics teachers about the concept of game. The study group of the research consists of 329 primary school mathematics teachers. In order to collect the data of the research, the participants were asked the question “the game is similar to …, because…”. In addition, the participants were asked to draw pictures suitable for their answers to the questions. The data obtained within the scope of the research were subjected to content analysis and Chi-square tests. When the metaphors developed by primary school mathematics teachers regarding the concept of play were examined, it was seen that most of the teachers perceived the game as "a child-specific activity (41%)". On the other hand, it has been observed that approximately one fifth of the teachers see the game as a "teaching method (18%)". In the study, it was determined that the professional seniority of the mathematics teachers had an effect on the metaphors they developed regarding the concept of game. In addition, it was observed that the level of mathematics teachers' involvement in the game in their professional lives had an effect on their development of metaphor as a teaching method.