Pre-service Mathematics Teachers and Undergraduate Mathematics Students' Metaphorical Perceptions of the Concept of Mathematics

Abstract: This study aims to compare the metaphors developed by the students of the Pre-service Mathematics Teachers (PMT) and the students of the Undergraduate Mathematics (UM) regarding the concept of mathematics and to determine how the metaphors are distributed as to the variables level of class and the department. For this purpose, hermeneutic phenomenology was used as a type of phenomenology design- one of the qualitative research methods. This study was conducted during the 2021/22 academic year with a total of 57 UM students studying at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences of a public university in the Southeastern Anatolia Region, and a total of 68 PMT students studying at the Faculty of Education at the same university. Data was collected through an interview form and analysed with content analysis. It was concluded that many metaphors are necessary in order to explain the concept of mathematics in a holistic way and that the respondents considered mathematics with its positive and negative aspects, as well as embracing it in daily life. It was also observed that the respondents’ perceptions of mathematics differ depending on the level of class and the department. For example, while the PMT students approached mathematics with a more concrete viewpoint, the UM students adopted an abstract mind-set. The reason for this result is believed to be related to the fact that the curricula applied for the PMT students contains less abstract expressions and theoretical lessons than that of the UM students, and also makes students active, offers a constructivist learning environment, and aims to train mathematics teachers rather than training them to become mathematicians. Keywords: Metaphor, mathematics education, phenomenology, pre-service mathematics teachers, undergraduate mathematics