The life-metaphors of experienced teachers: A method to assess core values and flourishing

Pages:15-20
Edward Hoffman (Department of Psychology, Yeshiva University, New York City, USA)
Catalina Acosta-Orozco (School of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Javierana,
Bogota, Colombia, South America)
Marlene Mora Alvarado (Universidad Latina de Costa Rica, Heredia, Costa Rica, Central America)

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 experience=11.2 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.