Concrete Modalities of Conducting a University Course

The aim of the present study is to investigate the potentials of the method of metaphor analysis used to explore the thoughts, values and attitudes of participants in educational processes. In this study both qualitative and quantitative, metaphors developed on education, teacher and teaching were analyzed. Different and valid metaphors were obtained from 101 first-year students participating in initial teachers training at Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Considering their reasons, those metaphors were collected under 6 different categories for each concept. The findings of the study revealed that the metaphors developed by students reflect their opinions, expectations and current psychological states. Based on the data, the study offers a set of adaptation solutions, oriented towards a more efficient teacher training program. The results are discussed in relation to their relevance for creating more reflexive future teachers and for the optimization of the teaching practice.