The Perceptions of Students Learning Turkish as a Foreign Language Towards "Writing in Turkish"

This study aimed to determine the perceptions of students who learn Turkish as a foreign language towards "writing in Turkish." The study was conducted using the phenomenology pattern, one of the qualitative research methods. The study sample consisted of one hundred seventy-five (175) students who were from two state universities in Turkey and learned Turkish as a foreign language in the 2019-2020 academic year. The study data were collected using an online form, and the participant students were asked to complete the statement in the form as follows: "Writing in Turkish is l ike ……, because ……………". As a r esult of the research, the students generated one hundred and eleven (111) valid metaphors about "writing in Turkish." Ninety (90) of them were positive, and 21 were negative. The categories with the highest number of positive responses were as follows: "Writing in Turkish: an Enjoyable Task" (n: 20), "Writing in Turkish: an Improving Task" (n: 17), "Writing in Turkish: a Similar Task" (n: 13) and "Writing in Turkish: an Achievable Task" (n: 12). The category with the most negative responses was the "Writing in Turkish: a Difficult Task" (n: 12).


Introduction
Language is an institution that is an inseparable part and creator of humanity, society, and many other fields such as science, art, technique, and culture (Aksan, 2010: 11). It also creates and improves the four basic language skills. As the primary component of language, the metaphor is not only a simple word "design" but also a logical constructor describing the journey of ideas. Metaphors can be acknowledged as the reflection of metaphorical thought and reveal creativity in writing. In other words, the goal is to conceptualize and experience an event from the perspective of another by using the power of thought creation (Pilav & Elkatmış, 2013: 1210.
-Metaphors are used to indirectly explain certain subjects considered taboo or lofty due to religious or cultural reasons.
Metaphor is a cognitive attempt to conceptualize an experience over another (Morgan, 1998;Kalnicka, 2006). Metaphors are tools for explaining events, objects, and especially abstract concepts by using various analogies (Cerit, 2008:694).
Metaphor is not associated with the words but the concepts. It is characterized by an effort to explain the target concept with the familiar ones (Dobric, 2010). Familiar concepts match target concepts, enhancing the information about the target concepts (Sajaniemi & Stützle, 2007).
A metaphor does not involve only artistic or aesthetic concerns but refers to a better understanding of certain concepts. A metaphor does not generally depend on analogy because it is not a linguistic ornament, unnecessary decoration but an integral part of human thought and reasoning. In this sense, metaphors are not only a way of describing something but also a way of learning something (Tuncay & Özçınar, 2009(Tuncay & Özçınar, : 2883.
Lakoff and Johnson describe metaphor as follows: -Metaphors are not about the words but the concepts.
-The function of metaphor does not involve artistic or aesthetic concerns but a better understanding of certain concepts.
-Metaphor does mostly not depend on similarity or analogy.
-Ordinary people use metaphors without making much mental effort.
-Metaphor is not a linguistic ornament, unnecessary decoration stuff, but an integral part of human thought and reasoning" (2015: 12).
Metaphors have various functions in daily life, such as enriching the vocabulary, improving concentration, stimulating imagination, and exploring spiritual aspects, activating and communicating the emotions, creating an aesthetic appeal, entertaining, teaching moral values, and promoting desirable behaviors. Therefore, they are not only a subject of literature but also a valuable data source for other fields (Tepebaşılı, 2013: 22-24).
For most people, metaphor is a poetic imagination and a rhetorical trick-it is not an issue surrounding ordinary/everyday language, yet it is related to unusual language (Lakoff & Johnson, 2015: 27). However, the essence of metaphor is the effort to grasp something by using the knowledge of another thing. Metaphors are not just rhetoric to embellish the daily language, but they are of much importance in human life (Saban, Koç beker & Saban, 2006;Eren, Çelik & Aktürk, 2014: 638). Dickmeyer (1989) indicates that metaphors help explain the unknown and convey complicated thoughts and ideas through experiences. Thus, they describe the key features of complex variables and present the whole story in a single image. Metaphors relieve the monotonous and boring feelings and create a new alternative to conventional techniques.
Metaphors create an independent working environment that supports creative thinking, offers the opportunity to share different perspectives, and entirely follows individuals' thought systems without any limitation. Metaphors not only provide researches with in-depth content but also contribute to the practical functioning of studies. Besides, metaphors facilitate seeing the unseen, noticing the details, and suggesting new research questions (Sarikaya, 2018;Koç , 2014).
As can be understood from the definitions, metaphor is a multidimensional concept of interest to several disciplines (e.g., philosophy, literature, linguistics, psychoanalysis). Therefore, it plays a fundamental role in representing the human spirit. Some studies in the literature addressed the primary school students' (Kırmızı Susar & Çelik, 2015;Köksal, 2010) and teacher candidates' (Ulu, 2019;Karakuş & Baki, 2017;Özkan, 2017;Mete & Bağcı Ayrancı, 2016, Tiryaki & Demir, 2016Bozpolat, 2015;Lüle Mert, 2013) metaphorical perceptions towards "writing." However, there was no research on the perceptions of students learning Turkish as a foreign language towards the concept of "writing." Therefore, the study would contribute to the literature.

The Aim of the Research
The research aimed to determine the perceptions of students learning Turkish as a foreign language about "writing in Turkish." With this goal, answers to the following questions were sought: ISSN 1925-0746 E-ISSN 1925 • Which metaphors do foreign students use for "writing in Turkish"?
• What are the conceptual categories of those metaphors?

Research Model
The phenomenology design, one of the qualitative research designs, was used in the study. Such designs focus on the facts that individuals are aware of but do not have detailed information. The phenomenology design also facilitates investigating the phenomena that are not unfamiliar much with but cannot be comprehended entirely (Yıldırım & Şimşek, 2011).

Data Collection Process
The data were collected using an online form, and the students learning Turkish as a foreign language were asked to complete the statement in the form as follow: "Writing in Turkish is like ……because.........". The responses were categorized and saved to Google Drive.

Data Analysis Procedures
The data were analyzed using content analysis techniques that determine the concepts and relationships explaining the collected data. In content analysis, similar data are categorized with similar concepts and themes and interpreted accordingly (Yıldırım & Şimşek, 2011). There were three stages in the analysis: In the first stage, 175 responses in the storage system were saved in a new document so that the raw data texts were collected in a single document. In the second stage, the responses and explanations were thoroughly read, and the inconsistent or missing data (64 responses) were excluded, and 111 valid responses were left. In the third stage, valid responses were analyzed and categorized. Two researchers reviewed the categories to ensure that the responses were related to the given categories. Miles and Huberman's (1994) reliability formula "Reliability = consensus/consensus + disagreement x 100" was calculated 0.90.

Participants
The data were gathered from one hundred and seventy-five (175) students who learned Turkish as a foreign language. The participant students were from two state universities in Turkey in the 2019-2020 academic year. They were chosen from the C1 level to facilitate the comprehension of the instructions and giving meaningful responses. The gender distribution of the respondents is shown in Table 1, and nationality distribution is given in Table 2 below. As seen in Table 1, 109 (62.29%) participants were female, and 66 (37.71) were male. According to Table 2, one hundred and seventy-five (175) international students from thirty-two (32) nationalities participated in the study.

Findings
The analysis results showed that the respondents mentioned ninety (90) positive and twenty-one (21) negative metaphors, which were categorized and shown in the tables below.

Positive Metaphors
Provide dates of recruitment and follow-up and the primary sources of the potential subjects, if appropriate. If the dates differ by group, provide the values for each group. We always need a refresh.

Running water
The more I write, the better and more systematic I become while writing Walking Writing is like walking forward; every word is a step forward.

Middle
My passion for writing improves me. Art The more you write, the better you get. Patience As we do not precisely know how to start a sentence in a new language, we learn the connections in time.

Silent comprehension
It improves due to studying hard. Flowers in the garden It is beautiful but thorny, and it is difficult to understand and write. To grow a bamboo tree It develops with effort and hard work.

Weight lifting
You have to study indefatigably. Sword The more often you use a sword, the sharper it becomes, just like Turkish. The more I write, the better and systematic writing I have.
Finding your way in a forest If you want to walk in a forest, it is vital to know the pathways and rules of the forest; otherwise, you get lost. Puzzle You can write excellent texts by putting the right words together, just like puzzle pieces. Treasure The more you reveal, the more you discover. You should know how to connect every word with the previous and following words. River What a person writes is like a river; it goes on and on. Elevator Writing in Turkish is learned continuously and gradually, and by reducing mistakes. Exercise You improve with continuous practice. Healing does not happen overnight and requires persistence and perseverance. Chain Each word or sentence must be connected to the previous sentence or word. Stream Because the water always flows in a stream, it does not run out, and neither does the language. Total Response 9 Writing in Turkish: An Extensive Task

Response Explanation Sky
Because it is extensive. Poetry It is comprehensive and rich. English It is a rich language. Sky It is diverse and unique. Water The water does not run out, and neither does the language. Arabic It is a comprehensive and rich language. It has borrowed words from all languages and cultures worldwide, including the Ottoman Empire.

Garden
The Turkish language has borrowed flowers from other languages and planted them in its garden.

Response Explanation Water
Some vowels are tricky. Sky It is hard to accomplish, like reaching the sky.

Reading
It is challenging due to special characters such as ç, ş, ğ, ü.

Unreachable
It is beautiful but thorny like a rose; it is not easy to understand. Sky It is not easy to reach. English It is too complicated. Writing in English I still do not know Turkish grammar well. A blended yarn It is very complicated. Coffee Letters and pronunciation are difficult. Elixir There are many rules.

Hard stuff
The learning method is not very good and effective. Article Only educated people can write.

Total Response 12
Writing in Turkish: An Unstable Task

Response Explanation German
The letters constantly change. It is like a season.
Affixation varies widely. French Turkish syntax is different from Arabic. English Turkish sentences include many affixes. Translating on the internet It pushes you to choose the right words to write a meaningful article. If you attempt to translate by only using a smartphone, you cannot obtain much information. A different language Turkish grammar is diverse and unique from other languages. Something different Turkish syntax is different from English syntax. Torture You have to think the opposite in Arabic, and there are also many suffixes in Turkish. Arabic Turkish has the same letters but slightly different from Arabic.
Total Response 9

Conclusion, Discussion, and Recommendations
According to the research results, the participants generated 111 valid metaphors for the concept of "writing in Turkish." Of all, 90 were positive, and 21 were negative metaphors. The positive metaphors generated by the students learning Turkish as a foreign language were categorized, and the categories with the most responses included: "Writing in Turkish: An Enjoyable Task" (n: 20), "Writing in Turkish: An Improving Task" (n: 17), "Writing in Turkish: A Similar Task" (n: 13), and "Writing in Turkish: An Achievable Task" (n: 12). When the 21 negative metaphors were examined, it was seen that the category with the most responses was "Writing in Turkish: A Difficult Task" (n: 12).
When the generated metaphors were examined, it was notable that most of them were "positive metaphors." These results overlap with the findings in the literature. For example, Tiryaki and Demir (2016: 25) found that most participants generated positive metaphors about "writing." It suggests that students' perceptions of writing skills are generally positive, which provides advantageous outcomes that should be used to develop students' writing skills because using metaphors plays a critical role in improving writing skills. In this sense, it can be inferred that the students who learn Turkish as a foreign language perceive writing in Turkish as a joyous task, which creates a good ground for the instructors to teach writing skills.
Several studies in the literature reached similar results. For example, Ulu (2019) determined the metaphor categories generated by the teacher candidates for "writing": a prerequisite for skill development, improvable skill, providing information/learning, showing individual differences, expressing feelings and thoughts, and interrelations with other language skills. In Bozpolat's (2015) study, the participants generated "writing" metaphors in the categories of "a relaxation tool," "a creative act," "a recording tool," and "a tool to shape emotions." Lüle Mert (2013) determined the "writing" metaphor categories as follows: "writing as a communication tool," "writing as a valuable tool," and "writing as a need." Metaphor, beyond a figure of speech, is a mechanism that offers alternative ways to grasp knowledge and sometimes produces a unique reality. Metaphors help people compare and recognize the similarities or explain one thing using another (Güneş & Tezcan, 2019: 4). Thus, future studies on the analysis of metaphors that foreign students use for "speaking Turkish" and "reading Turkish" would contribute to the literature.