A study on the examination of the metaphoric perceptions of middle school students about pattern

Abstract

In this study, it was aimed both to examine middle school students' perceptions of the concept of pattern and to reveal if the metaphoric perceptions which the students created in relation to the concept of pattern changed according to the variable of grade level. The metaphors in relation to the concept were carried out via the "phenomenological" design. For this, a short open ended form was directed to the volunteer fifth, sixth, and seventh-grade students who attended to the research from a middle school in Turkey. The qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis. Besides, the chi-square test was used for quantitative analysis. The perceptions of middle school students were gathered under six different categories. Moreover, the analyses made within the scope of this study revealed that the metaphors which the participant students created for the concept of pattern did not indicate significant difference according to the grade levels.