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Exploring Prospective EFL Teachers’ Beliefs

The first stage of data analysis began with the examination of PTs’ early images of the given concepts
(see Table 3). The metaphors given by the PTs were grouped under three headings, being a PT, teachers and
teaching, respectively. The number of occurrence of the metaphors and the percentages were calculated.
As shown in Table 3, the PTs reflected on their role more as an apprentice, helper and a little child
referring to their role as an assistant to the cooperating teacher and as someone in a progress of profes-
sional learning. The second most frequently used metaphor was chef. When PTs referred to their role
as a chef, they defined their role as ‘someone who is responsible for a number of duties’. Although the
metaphor chef seems to have an active role in the process, PTs reflected on the number of duties and the
extent to which they feel responsible for the teaching and learning context. PTs considered their role as
daylight by referring to their ‘existence in the classroom through bringing a new energy to the classroom’.
In the early-images of the PTs, the roles of the teachers were defined as sun, earth, light, lighthouse
and precious stone, referring to the teachers as the sources of knowledge and learning process. When
PTs reflected on the roles of the teachers, they used the metaphor friend to refer to the teachers ‘they
travel with the students together on the learning road’. The definition of teachers being a friend on the
road provides an understanding of how PTs observe the learning process as a road, and the teachers as
travel mates. PTs quote on their metaphors of teachers as architects assigning the roles of the teachers
as they ‘build-up a future’. In the early-images of teachers, PTs characterized them as playing a main
role in the teaching process.
The last concept of early-images defined by the PTs was teaching. In order to refer to the concept of
teaching, PTs refereed to teaching English in the classrooms. PTs referred to the concept of teaching as
specifically teaching English in the classrooms. In the explanations of the metaphors, PTs characterized
what they understand from teaching English in the current context. PTs referred to English language
teaching as teaching the world, mostly. By relating the concept of teaching the world and teaching Eng-
lish, PTs conveyed that ‘English is a global language and in ten years time, people who cannot speak it
will be considered as illiterate’ (Ali, Pre-M). Similar to teaching as teaching the world metaphor, PTs
referred to teaching as revolution. PTs considered that ‘if learning is living then teaching is revolution’
(Elcin, Pre-M). PTs extended their definition of teaching as revolution stating that ‘in order to have a
good quality of life, everyone should learn English’ (Sonay, Int.) and through teaching English, a revo-
lutionary act of ‘transforming a regular life into a qualified one’ (Kenan, Int.). While defining teaching
through metaphors, PTs defined teaching as cooking and art in terms its nature in ‘providing a number
of opportunities and a coherent context of experience’ (Esra, Post-M). In defining teaching as raining

Table 3. Findings of the early-images

Being a PT N % Teachers N % Teaching N %
apprentice 6 13.6 sun 5 11.3 teaching the world 6 13.6
chef 5 11.3 earth 5 11.3 cooking 5 11.3
helper 5 11.3 architect 5 11.3 art 5 11.3
daylight 4 9.0 light 4 9.0 raining 4 9.0
guide 4 9.0 lighthouse 4 9.0 revolution 4 9.0
a little child 3 3.7 lighthouse 5 6.17 raining 4 9.0
magnet 3 6.8 precious stone 3 6.8 transmitting 3 6.8
knowledge

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