Abstract
The Perceptions of Prospective Teachers Taking Special Education Lesson About the Concepts of “Special Education” and “The Individual with Special Education Need”
The aim of this study is to reveal the perceptions of prospective teachers taking special
education lesson about the concepts of “special education” and “the individual with
special education need” through metaphors. This study was carried out in accordance
with the phenomenological design, one of the qualitative research designs. The study
was conducted to 145 prospective teachers who were taking special education lesson in
the field of Social Studies and Information Technologies in Educational Faculty of Siirt
University during 2016-2017 academic year. The data was collected from prospective
teachers via forms that included the following statements: “Special education is
like ………..because……………” and “The individual with special education need is
like…………………… because…………………..” . The data obtained at the end of the
study was analyzed according to content analysis. The metaphors about the concept of
“special education” were organized under 11 categories, whereas the metaphors about
the concept of “the individual with special education need” were gathered under 13
categories. As a result of the study, while the general perceptions about the concept of
“special education” were that special education was a necessary element, the general
perceptions regarding the concept of “the individual with special education need” were
that the individual with special needs was seen as a being that needed people around
him.
Keywords
Prospective Teacher, Special Education, The Individual with Special Education Need, Metaphor, Percep
