Metaphorical Perceptions of Middle School Students towards Math

In every society, the issue of whether an individual can do math has become a central issue. Middle school years, when students' perceptions towards math start to form, have a critical importance for them to develop a positive attitude towards math. The aim of this study is to determine the meaning that the students attributed to the math and to reveal the students' perceptions towards math. Metaphors were also benefited from in order to carry out this aim. The sample of this study was composed of randomly selected 273 students from Yalçin Eskiyapan Middle School located in the district of Keçiören, Ankara in 2015-2016 academic year. When the data obtained from the students were examined, it was seen that the most frequent repeating metaphors were life (38), game (14), book (10), and space (6). The way in which the students explain their metaphors was examined by inductive content analysis. As a result of the analysis, the obtained codes were gathered under four themes as opinions about the content of the math, opinions about the applicability of the math, opinions about the math, and opinions about the teaching of the math. Each theme has two categories, including positive and negative ones.