THE METAPHORICAL PERCEPTIONS OF ENGLISH PREPARATORY PROGRAM STUDENTS ON ENGLISH LEARNING PROCESS

Abstract

Metaphors have been handy tools to elicit the beliefs of individuals towards a subject that provides a means to explore individuals’ deeper thoughts on a particular topic. This study aims to investigate university students’ perceptions towards their English learning process through metaphors. The participants are 114 students studying English in school of foreign languages in a public university. Employing a semistructured form, the participants were asked to complete the sentence: “The English learning process is (like) …. because .…” to collect data in this qualitative study. 13 thematic categories were produced after the analysis: endeavor, continuity, obscurity, novelty, fun, obligation, choice, period of life, difficulty, activity, hopelessness, happiness, and opportunity. The results of the study indicate that the participants have logical and realistic thoughts on learning English process, regarding it as an ongoing journey towards becoming successful individuals. The findings of this study are expected to bring deeper insights into learners’ expectations and perspectives on language learning that offer guidance for curriculum and material designers in producing effective educational materials.