Perceptions of Physician Candidates on AIDS Concept; Metaphore Analysis Example and Cognitive Structures of Physician Candidates; The Sample of Free Word Association Test

Aim: The meaning of the metaphor, 'to explain something more clearly' has been the subject of many field work, especially education. AIDS; when the concept is examined in terms of social identity loaded; awareness, prejudice, lack of information, etc. In this study, it was aimed to reveal the metaphors of the students of Ankara Y？ld？r？m Beyaz？t University Faculty of Medicine on the concept of AIDS and to determine the cognitive structures. Method: The raw data obtained by completing each of the students' "AIDS is like .......... because ..." was analyzed using qualitative data analysis techniques. Free word association test was also used to collect the data. The obtained data were divided into categories according to the content analysis. Results: According to the findings of the research, students produced a total of 98 valid metaphors regarding the concept of "AIDS". These metaphors were then grouped into 5 different conceptual categories, which were examined in terms of their common features. In particular, these five conceptual categories did not differ significantly in terms of the presence of AIDS patients in the family or in the immediate vicinity. According to the analysis results, a total of 10 categories were determined by free word association test. In this context, it has been determined that the cognitive structures related to AIDS of physician candidates concentrate mostly in the categories of "AIDS transmission routes". At the end of the study, related proposals were mentioned. Conclusions: The results indicate that the cognitive structures of the candidates of AIDS should be developed more consciously and purposefully. Today, AIDS is a disease that threatens every individual in the world. Careful planning of the educational process is necessary