The purpose of this study is to explain secondary school students' perceptions of underground resources through metaphors. 154 students studying at Social Sciences High School of Kütahya during 2014-2015 educational year are included in this study. Questions asked in this study are 1-Which metaphors did the secondary school students use in order to express their perceptions of the underground resources? 2- Under which categories these metaphors are grouped by their common features? Data are compiled through students’ answers to the sentence “Underground resources are like…, because…”. Data are analyzed using content analysis method on phenomenology design. Findings show that the secondary school students produced 74 valid metaphors on the concept of underground resources. These metaphors are allocated to four different sections by their common features. As a result of this study, it is seen that Social Sciences High School students perceive the concept of underground resources as Source of Economic Value and Wealth (47%), Future Guarantee (22%), Life Source (19%) and Expression of Love (12%). Metaphors created in relation with the concept of underground resources may be used as a strong research element to explain how secondary school students perceive and comprehend the concept of underground resources.      

 

Key words: Social sciences, metaphor, geography education.