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Title
Metaphor Analysis of Teachers’ Beliefs and Conceptions of Language Teaching and Learning in Iranian High Schools and Language Institutes: A Qualitative Study

Authors
Reza Pishghadam, Rajabali Askarzadeh Torghabeh,
& Safoora Navari.

Bio Data

Reza Pishghadam is assistant professor in TEFL, teaching in the English Department of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran. His main research interests are: Language testing, first language acquisition, and sociolinguistics.

Rajabali Askarzadeh Torghabeh is assistant professor in English language and literature, teaching in the English Department of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran. His main research interests are: English language learning/teaching, English and American literature.

Safoora Navari holds MA in TEFL. Her major research interests are: Psycholinguistics and literature.  

Abstract
This article explores the uses of metaphor to express the various perspectives of language teachers about the process of teaching and learning. Using the Iranian contexts of education, this study aimed at: first, collecting the metaphors language teachers created by using the prompts “A teacher is/should be like a...” and “A learner is/should be like a...”, and second, identifying and analyzing the metaphors based on the guidelines laid down by Martinez (2001). Teachers at high schools and language institutes altogether generated metaphors. Metaphors of high school teachers indicated that they still opt for running their classes under the rules of behaviourism while language institute teachers have more tendency towards principles of cognitivism and wish to form the bedrock of their teaching paradigm based on situative learning concepts.

Key Terms: Conceptual metaphor, High school, Language institute, Linguistic  metaphor, Metaphor analysis