Determination of secondary school students' perceptions and opininons toward grammar

This research aims to determine secondary school students' perceptions and opinions about grammar. In the study designed according to the qualitative research method, the phenomenological pattern was used. The study group of the research consists of students who continue their education in six different secondary schools located in one of the districts of Van that are not affiliated with the center. 6th, 7th and 8th grade students attending education in the 2022-2023 academic year participated in the study. A total of 304 students participated in the metaphor development study, and data was collected from 209 students with a structured opinion form. The students whose opinions were taken were also among the students who participated in the metaphor study. The data obtained was analyzed with content analysis, one of the qualitative data analysis methods. The findings of the research show that students use various metaphors to understand and explain grammatical concepts. Based on the metaphors obtained, categories such as "illumination, source of information, integrity, instructive, necessity, rule, mentor, resource, substantiality, difficulty" were created. It was concluded that the majority of the students had positive perceptions of the concept of grammar. As can be understood from the answers of secondary school students within the scope of the interview questions, there is an awareness that the concept of grammar plays an important role in the correct and understandable use of Turkish. Students think that learning grammar will benefit them greatly in their future lives and in written and oral communication. This emphasizes that grammar subjects are important not only for academic success, but also for developing the ability to communicate effectively and express themselves in daily life. The findings show that grammar teaching not only improves students' language skills but also supports their practical applications in daily life.