The difficulties hindering EFL teachers from using metaphor-based teaching

Abstract

This paper aims to assess the knowledge of metaphor-based teaching among teachers by investigate the obstacles that hinder them from incorporating metaphor-based teaching into their instructional strategies. This study makes use of a questionnaire to collect data from EFL teachers worldwide. The results show that the difficulties most faced by teachers when using metaphor-based teaching include the unsuitability of the topic, the difficulty of the topic, the unavailability of materials, time constraints, extra workload, and metaphor-based teaching not fitting students’ expectations and needs. The research also touches on some countermeasures to deal with the difficulties teachers face when using metaphor-based approach. The results indicate the importance of reevaluating teacher training programs and refocusing teachers' instructional efforts on incorporating metaphor-based teaching, which is often overlooked and not fully acknowledged in language classrooms.

Keywords

• conceptual metaphors
• Contemporary Theory of Metaphor
• teaching difficulty
• English teaching
• metaphor-based teaching