Lotus flower model: With metaphorical perceptions of the chemistry of daily life

Abstract

This study aimed to determine teacher candidates’ perception about ‘chemistry’ through metaphors. In this study, 60 teacher candidates training at different programmes of Hacettepe University, Faculty of Education, participated. The metaphors of teacher candidates about chemistry were collected through a diagram prepared according to the Lotus Flower Technique. After the 3,754 metaphors were defined and 8 imaginary categories to represent these metaphors were developed, the number of metaphors and its percentage were calculated for each category. As a result, it appears that, the images of the teacher candidates regarding the metaphorical perceptions of the chemistry of daily life and general chemistry are significantly different from each other. Metaphors are able to change conceptual systems and the perspectives of individuals towards the world. Therefore, this study catered to the introduction of metaphorical images, which bring new perspectives to teacher candidates about the chemistry of daily life. Keywords: Lotus flower, model, metaphors, daily life, chemistry.