Abstract
Beliefs are a complex psychological construct that have potential to drive a person to make decisions and act. A person’s metaphors can serve as roots of their beliefs. In this study, the metaphor construction task (MCT) was utilized to uncover beliefs about teaching and learning held by 216 educational supervisors from 10 provinces in the central region of Thailand. The follow-up interview was also conducted with 22 participants to further explore and validate data. The metaphors constructed by the participants were coded and categorized and then counted for frequencies and calculated for percentages. The results revealed four favorite metaphors held by the participants, that is, teacher as gardener, captain/driver, sculptor and coach. Two dominant metaphor categories were the teacher is seen as moulder/craftsperson and nurturer/cultivator. However, about one-third of the participants viewed teacher as knowledge provider or superior authoritative figure which inclined to be teacher-centered. Educational supervisors’ beliefs are metaphorically rooted and culturally influenced. The implications regarding the MCT and metaphor analysis are also discussed.
Key words: Metaphor, belief, teaching and learning, educational supervisor, teacher education.
