Metaphorical perceptions of education faculty students about quality in higher education (The case of Sakarya university)

In this study, it is aimed to reveal the perceptions of the students of the faculty of education about the concept of quality in higher education by means of metaphors. Within the framework of this general purpose, the following questions were sought: (i) What metaphors do the students of the faculty of education have regarding the concept of quality in higher education? (ii) What conceptual categories can these metaphors fall into in terms of their common characteristics? (iii) Do the metaphors of the students of the Faculty of Education regarding the concept of quality in higher education show similarity / difference according to the departments they study? (iv) Do the metaphors of the students of the Faculty of Education regarding the concept of quality in higher education show similarity / difference according to gender? This study is a qualitative study in which the perception of the students of the faculty of education about quality in higher education is tried to be determined through metaphors. For this purpose, this study was designed in accordance with the phenomenological design, which is one of the qualitative research designs used to describe the situations of individuals and their experiences. The study group of the research was the Department of Computer Education and Instructional Technology, Department of Science Education, Department of Mathematics Education, Preschool Education Department, Department of Mentally Handicapped Education, Department of Psychological Counseling and Guidance, Department of Social Studies Education, Department of Primary Education and Department of Turkish Education in 2018-2019 academic year in Sakarya University Faculty of Education. The maximum diversity consists of 327 students selected through sampling. The data of the study was collected with "Quality Perception Form" developed by the researcher. As a result of the research, participants produced 208 metaphors related to quality in higher education. In this study, the metaphors produced by the faculty of education towards quality in higher education are grouped into four conceptual categories. These are (I) Service, (II) System, (III) brand and (IV) personal development categories. Metaphors that are not included in these categories are also sub-categories: a) physical conditions, b) instructor characteristics c) educational services, d) measurement and evaluation services and e) support services. Metaphors in the system category a) continuous innovation and development b) systemic functioning c) institutional structure d) problem solving system e) the product of the system is collected in sub-categories. Metaphors in the brand category a) image b) value added c) qualified d) difficult to reach and e) rareness sub-categories. Metaphors in the category of personal development a) learning b) self development c) preparing for the profession and d) preparing for life are sub-categories. It was examined whether the metaphors formed by the students of the faculty of education differed according to the departments they studied and there was no significant difference between the department and the education. It was examined whether the metaphors created by the students of the Faculty of Education for quality in higher education differed according to their gender and no significant difference was found between the categories of the metaphors and gender. Suggestions were developed within the framework of the results of the research.