Understanding Metaphors: Preliminary Results with Children 9-14 Years Old

Abstract

We present the results of a study with a group of children aged 9-14 years old, on the understanding of metaphors. We describe the resource used, the TCM, Metaphor Comprehension Test for children aged 9-14 years and the results obtained with a sample. In this study, 95 subjects of both sexes participated, aged between 9 (4th grade) and 15 (9th grade), from a school in the region of Aveiro. The results revealed that, with increasing age, the rating level of responses tends to increase. The instrument used is in the process of gauging, or external validation, that is, meeting normative data, although it is already subject to adaptation procedures, as it is an original test in Italian. We will give an account of the data obtained and analyzed which, to date, seem to us to be quite promising. Although still preliminary and exploratory, with a sample that is still not very representative and significant, the results appear to be not very distant from the averages obtained by their Italian counterparts. Keywords: metalinguistic awareness, understanding, figurative language, metaphors, TCM