Indian Journal of Positive Psychology

Edward Hoffman ¹, Catalina Acosta-Orozco ², Marlene Mora Alvarado ³

Affiliations
1 Department of Psychology, Yeshiva University, New York City, USA, US
2 School of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Javierana, Bogota, Colombia, South America, CO
3 Universidad Latina de Costa Rica, Heredia, Costa Rica, Central America, CR

Abstract

Metaphor analysis has been used to uncover the specific values of preservice and established teachers concerning the roles of pupil, educator, and the educational process. However, it has never been utilized in assessing the broader values and flourishing of experienced teachers. Because positive psychology has found these factors to significantly impact teacher effectiveness, we conducted this study focusing on the life-metaphors of experienced teachers in Costa Rica, an under-represented research population. Sixty teachers (mean teaching experienced 1.2 years) responded to a structured questionnaire. It elicited their preferred life-metaphor, whether they had always espoused it since youth, and if not, what had caused it to change; and how it guides their actions. Teachers were also asked to indicate which of 17 life-metaphors they most and least preferred, and to rate their happiness and life meaning from teaching. Teachers' expressed life-metaphors were predominantly active, affectively positive, and individualistic. They most preferred the metaphor that “life is a gift” and reported that their own life metaphor significantly impacted their decision-making. Consistent with the metaphoric data, they reported high levels of happiness and life meaning from teaching. The usefulness of metaphor analysis in aiding teacher development is discussed, and future avenues of research are highlighted.

Keywords

Metaphor Analysis, Life-Metaphor, Flourishing, Teachers' Values, Teacher Development, Teacher Effectiveness.

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Edward Hoffman ¹, Catalina Acosta-Orozco ², Xinying Chen ³

Affiliations
1 Department of Psychology, Yeshiva University, New York, US
2 Woodhull Hospital Center, Brooklyn, NY, US
3 Lianjiang Qiming Primary School, Fuzhou City, Fujian Province, CN

Abstract

Metaphor analysis has been found a valid way to examine the core values and flourishing of teachers in Western culture, but empirical evidence is sparse for their Far Eastern counterparts. In the present study, 60 teachers (mean teaching experience=6.9 years) in southeastern China responded to a structured questionnaire. It elicited their personal life-metaphor, whether they had always espoused it since youth, and if not, what had caused it to change; and how it guides their actions. Teachers were also asked to indicate which of 17 life-metaphors they most and least preferred, and to rate their happiness and life meaning from teaching. Consistent with their counterparts in Costa Rica, virtually all Chinese teachers recounted a personal life-metaphor. Similar to those recounted by Costa Rican teachers, these were predominantly active and individualistic, but differed by being affectively neutral rather than optimistic. The most preferred and least preferred life-metaphors were similar but not identical among the two nationalities of teachers. Consistent with the content of their personal metaphors, Chinese teachers reported moderate happiness and personal meaning from their work. The usefulness of metaphor analysis in aiding teacher development in China is discussed, and future avenues of research are highlighted.

Keywords

Metaphor Analysis, Life-Metaphor, Flourishing, Teachers' Values, Chinese Teachers.

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