BEYOND WORDS: METAPHORICAL INSIGHTS INTO EFL STUDENT-TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE TEACHING PRACTICE EXPERIENCES

This study explores senior EFL student-teachers’ perceptions of their teaching practice experiences through metaphors. Conducted with 50 final-year student-teachers in Türkiye, the research employed a qualitative case study design. Following their three-week observation stage, participants generated metaphors to describe their practicum experiences after their first teaching practice experiences, which were thematically categorized into positive and negative domains. Positive metaphors—comprising 76% of responses—centred on emotional resonance, professional growth, identity transformation, and relational dynamics, often framing teaching as a journey or role that fosters development and fulfilment. In contrast, 24% of the metaphors expressed negative experiences, reflecting feelings of futility, role conflict, disorientation, and lack of agency. The findings portray metaphors as powerful cognitive and emotional tools that illuminate how student-teachers negotiate their emerging professional identities. Drawing on Gee’s (2000) identity framework, the study underscores the importance of integrating metaphor elicitation into reflective practice and teacher education curricula to support emotional resilience and identity formation. Revealing the dynamic interaction between metaphor and identity negotiation in the high-stakes context of the EFL teaching practicum, this research helps fill gaps in metaphor-based studies. By capturing nuanced, practice-based perceptions, it goes beyond broad impressions to show how student-teachers make use of metaphors to explain classroom realities, providing distinctive insights into the cognitive and emotional challenges that characterize the transition from student-teachers to in-service teachers, along with offering actionable visions for educators, mentors, and curriculum designers. Furthermore, the research offers a unique view into the often-hidden internal processes of professional growth by delving into subtle perceptions in teacher identity during practicum, and gaining insights into student-teachers’ perceptions via metaphors.