Metaphorical Understanding of ELT Students toward a Master’s Degree

Abstract

This study aims to explore the opinions and metaphorical understanding of English Language Teaching students regarding pursuing a master’s degree. The participants of this cross-sectional survey study were 34 fourth-grade English Language Teaching (ELT) students from a state university in Turkey. The findings showed that most participants expressed a desire to obtain a master’s degree and provided various reasons for their willingness or unwillingness to pursue it, along with a metaphorical representation of their views. The findings also indicated that the participants had some knowledge about the requirements of a master’s degree, and although they recognized the challenges involved, they were mostly willing to pursue it. Overall, the study suggests that English Language Teaching students in Turkey have a positive attitude towards obtaining a master’s degree. However, further research is needed to examine the reasons for this positive attitude and to determine the impact of obtaining a master’s degree on the students’ competencies.