Primary School Teachers’ Metaphorical Perspectives towards Classroom and Classroom Management: A Comparative Case Study

Abstract

This study aims to compare and contrast the approaches of classroom teachers in two different
primary schools towards the concepts of classroom and classroom management through the metaphorical images
they use. In the realm of the qualitative research, a comparative case study design was utilized. The data source
is classroom teachers from two schools with dramatically different environments. The data collection instrument
was a semi-structured metaphor form. Content-analysis was performed to analyze the data. A number of
metaphors were produced by the participants and findings portrayed that although some differences exist in
teachers’ views towards “classroom”, their views towards “classroom management” do not differ significantly as
reflected through the metaphors they used. The common concern about classroom management appears to focus
on harmony, whereas the one about the classroom is about the diversity of students.