Metaphor Analysis as a Window into How Japanese Entry-level Medical Students Conceptualize Their Future Profession as Physicians

Abstract

Metaphor analysis is a useful tool for uncovering tacit assumptions and beliefs. In education, metaphor analysis of students' attitudes and motivations can provide useful insights for educational discourse and curriculum development. The current metaphor analysis of Japanese entry-level medical students' conceptualizations of their future profession of physician was conducted to determine what insights might be derived therefrom for medical educational discourse and curriculum development. For the analysis, the students filled in the blanks of a metaphorical statement, A physician is like _____ because _____, and the metaphors thus collected were coded using content analysis procedures. Ninety-one metaphorical statements were included for analysis. Two generic-level conceptual metaphors were identified: the physician as deeply caring figure (49/91, 53.8%), in which metaphors relating to family members were predominant (25/49, 51.0%), and the physician as specially able and skillful figure, in which just over half of the metaphors related to a super being (22/42, 52.3%). The predominantly positive metaphors elicited by this study reflect high levels of idealism in this group of students about to embark on their medical studies. However, the high number of metaphors relating the physician to a super being emphasizes the need for space in the medical curriculum devoted to discussion of the realities of uncertainty and fallibility in medical care. Extrapolating more broadly, metaphor analysis may be used in other areas of the medical profession, such as for exploring values and beliefs about medical practice and for comparing cross-cultural perspectives in medical teams composed of members from different countries.

Keywords: Conceptual metaphor; Conceptual metaphor theory; Japanese; Medical students; Metaphor analysis.