An Analysis of Prospective Teachers' Perceptions Concerning The Concept of "Social Media" Through Metaphors

Abstract

This study was conducted so as to determine prospective teachers' perceptions of the concept of "social media" through metaphors. The study group was composed of 138 prospective biology teachers attending Hacettepe and Gazi universities in 2015-2016 academic year. The participants were given the semi-structured interview form containing the statement "Social media is like ... because ..." And they were asked to complete the statement. The technique of content analysis was used in assessing the data collected. MAXQDA 12, a program for qualitative data analysis, was used in analysing the data. Having analysed the data, they were interpreted. Accordingly, 30.43% of the prospective teachers perceived the concept of social media as a harmful element, the great majority of them (66.67%) perceived the concept positively as an educational, technological, entertaining, indispensable part of life and as an instrument of communication.