Metaphorical perceptions of high school students about pop music

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to examine the pop music metaphors developed by high school students. In this study, the phenomenology model, which is one of the qualitative research methods, has been used. A total of 650 students from a public school in Province Ankara, District Mamak, attended the study during the spring semester of the 2020/2021 academic year. The data were collected through a form containing the question ‘Pop music is like... because...’. The data were analysed through content analysis. Based on the 324 different metaphors created by high school students, these metaphors are classified into 13 categories based on their shared characteristics. Students’ gender and their conditions whether they play an instrument or not were considered when categorising them. According to the findings of the study, high school students described pop music as the most energising/friendly genre. The study also demonstrates that metaphors can be an effective tool for eliciting students’ perceptions of pop music.