A metaphorical analysis of EFL writers’ views about writing in English

Abstract

The concept of writing in English has increasingly been a common area of interest for many, and developing writing skills is among the most complex skills to master in language learning. In this study, we investigated EFL writers’ views about writing in English through metaphors because, as a significant tool of phenomenology research, metaphorical analysis provides valuable data about many social, psychological, linguistic and cognitive variables. This phenomenological descriptive study was conducted at a Turkish university with 56 ELT major students, and ELT majors’ views on EFL writing, through metaphorical conceptions of the participants, were obtained in the study. The study reveals some significant data on learner views of EFL writing, and the data analysis suggest themes mainly with regard to writing as a process, and writing as a product. Specifically, the results of the study disclosed 19 themes regarding the process, and 6 themes could be identified in connection with viewing writing as a product. Themes that indicate views of writing in English pertaining to being an individual development process, themes about psychological, emotional and motivational dimensions of writing, and writer identity are among the prominent findings discovered in the research.