Visual metaphors and metonymies in pre-service teachers’ reflections: Beliefs and experiences in the learning and teaching of writing

Abstract

This study focuses on visual metaphors and metonymies in a Catalan teacher education context and analyses how 143 pre-service teachers use them when reflecting on the learning and teaching of writing in a blog post. The results of a thematic analysis show that pre-service teachers use visual metonymies and metaphors to help them think metacognitively about their learning experiences and become aware of their own beliefs. Visual metonymies are more frequent and are used as decorative illustrations in relation to the reflective text. In contrast, visual metaphors are less frequent but allow for deeper conceptualisation of pre-service teachers' beliefs.