Kyle Turakhia
Thesis Title: Metaphors as learning tools: investigating metaphors used by students aged 15- 18 to support conceptual understanding
Linguists now widely accept that metaphors shape our thoughts and language. For example, the metaphorical conceptualisation of ‘argument’ as ‘warfare’ structures the way we learn about, perceive and describe debate (Lakoff and Johnson, 1980; Deignan, 2005). A growing body of research investigates the relevance of this premise – conceptual metaphor theory - to education. Existing research into metaphor in education tends to focus either on use by teachers and textbooks (e.g. Petrie & Oshlag, 1993; Corts, 2006, Deignan et al., 2013 and 2019) or second-language learners (e.g. Littlemore & Low, 2006; Nacey, 2013). Where first-language students are directly considered, studies principally analyse how metaphors are interpreted rather than utilised. Cameron (2003, p.132) exemplifies this expert-to-student model of educational metaphor as “the teacher […] offering stepping stones, and helping students move across”. In contrast, I will investigate student-led models: asking whether and how young people’s own metaphors support their learning. Secondary schools are particularly apposite to such research, since demands on vocabulary, including cross-domain mappings of words, are heightened at this phase (Beck et al., 2002; Deignan et al., 2022). My interest in this area began, indeed, as a secondary teacher, when I noticed that encouraging students to construct metaphors when encountering new topics seemed to support their understanding.
Biography:
I did my undergraduate degree in English Literature at Cambridge, before training as a Secondary English teacher through a charity called Teach First. I was deployed to a school in Colchester, where I worked for two years alongside completing a post-graduate diploma in education (PGDE). I then joined the National Literacy Trust - a charity which aims to raise literacy levels across the UK - where I have worked for six years. I first joined the NLT to design and deliver a project for pupil referral units (PRUs) - encouraging and supporting young people who had been removed from mainstream education to read for pleasure. I then became 'Birmingham Hub Manager'; leading a place-themed literacy campaign across the city as well as managing a research relationship with the University of Birmingham. Metaphors and their applications in education have been an ongoing interest throughout my career in education - and I am so excited to now begin a PHD exploring this topic in more depth.
Publications:
Turakhia, K. (2024) ‘The National Literacy Trust Haunted Birmingham Campaign: How Might “Scary stories” Connect People to Place, Heritage and Literacy?’, Midland History, 49(3), pp. 372–385. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/0047729X.2024.2428456.
Turakhia, K and Clark, C (eds) (2025). Place-themed Literacy. Birmingham: National Literacy Trust.
Other research interests:
Vocabulary in education
Place-based approaches
Literacy Multilingualism
Department of Linguistics and Communication University of Birmingham
2025 Cohort
Email:
Supervisory Team:
Jeannette Littlemore
Helen Breadmore