Each individual in society has begun more consider the " virus " concept that causes the Covid 19 pandemic. Scientific knowledge about the virus's concept is provided to individuals through science lessons at an early age. Therefore, this study aimed to reveal the perceptions of science teachers working in this branch towards the concept of "virus" during the Covid-19 pandemic through metaphors. Fifty science teachers from different Turkey regions (Black Sea, Aegean, Marmara, and Eastern Anatolia) participated in the research. The phenomenological (phenomenology) design, one of the qualitative research models, was used in the study. The data collection tool was prepared online over "google forms" and delivered to the participants through social media platforms. To reveal science teachers' perceptions towards the concept of "virus" they were asked to complete the sentence as "Virus is as a …………; because…………….". The analysis of the data was done by the content analysis technique. The data obtained according to content analysis were conceptualized and organized rationally and divided into explanatory categories. As a result of the study, it was determined that science teachers produced 43 different valid metaphors. The metaphors obtained were collected under four different categories. Categories; a negative structural element (36.2%), nature and nature element (34%), a war element (14.9%), and a life-threatening element (14.9). These results showed that science teachers' views on the concept of virus during the pandemic process were not similar or very different. However, it was concluded that science teachers generally perceived the concept of "virus" as a negative concept during the Covid-19 pandemic process. The reason for this is thought to be factors such as self-isolation, economic problems in the pandemic process, limited social interaction and communication, and uncertainty of the process. In line with the study's findings, the results were discussed and suggestions for future studies were offered.
Covid-19, science teachers, virus, metaphor