High School Students' Metaphorical Perceptions about the Concept of Soil*

Abstract

In this study, high school students' perceptions about the concept of soil were tried to be determined through metaphors. The phenomenological design was used in the research. Data from the study was collected from 451 students studying in four different types of high schools in the central district of Kütahya. As part of the study, students were distributed written data collection tools “Soil is like... because...”, and students were asked to write their metaphors and justifications for the concept of soil. The collected data was analyzed by content analysis technique. 133 different metaphors were produced by the students in relation to the concept of soil. This result showed that students perceived the soil as multifaceted. Among the metaphors produced, the most preferred metaphors were mother (48), human (47), life (40), heart (29), water (22) and homeland (16). It has been observed that students are influenced by mythological, cultural and religious factors in their choice and justification of metaphors: Metaphors have been studied under 10 different categories. Considering these categories, it was concluded that students' perceptions about the concept of soil were positive and that they were aware of the importance of soil in living life. In addition, it was understood that soil, which is a geographical concept, cannot be considered separately from its mythological, cultural and religious contexts. As a result of research, the versatility of the soil appears in curriculum units for Geography and Social Studies, in textbooks as a living being and the source of life; and the importance of soil as a resource will transfer to the student from presentation of the content of the course. The geographical, mythological, cultural and religious aspects of soil are to be included in activities that will allow us to detect soil as a whole have been proposed.