Engineering Candidates' Metaphorical Perceptions of About Energy

Abstract

It is generally difficult to define abstract concepts for students. However, perceptions related to abstract concepts or facts can be revealed using metaphors because people frequently express their emotions, ideas and perceptions by means of metaphors. Through metaphors, students can express what they want to say more effectively with fewer words. Metaphorical perceptions are verbal expressions of individuals related to their perceptions about the external world, and these may help them to reveal the current situation related to the concept on their minds. Energy is a complex concept since it is abstract as well as it concerns all scientific fields. The purpose of this study is to determine metaphorical perceptions of the engineering candidates about energy. The research was conducted using the phenomenological research method which is a qualitative research method. The research population consisted of 148 grade 3 students who were studying at Necmettin Erbakan University Faculty of Engineering and Architecture during the spring semester of Academic Year in 2016-2017. Considering the results of the research, the metaphors of the engineering candidates about energy were classified in 7 categories. These categories are; energy as the reason of existence, energy as an issue of physics, energy as the base of technology, energy as the base of development, energy as a non consumable substance, energy as a consumable substance and energy as a transformable substance.