An Investigation of Academicians' Perceptions about Concepts of University, Academicianship and Scientific Research through Metaphors

The purpose of this study is to determinate the perception of different faculty members of Mersin University about university, profession of academicianship and scientific research. Sample of the study consists of 223 lecturer that are working in the faculties in the two biggest campuses. Data of the study was collected via data collection tool, and analyzed by "content analysis". As a result of the analysis that faculty members produced about concept of university, opinions about this concept are gathered in three themes that are university's structure, university's function and relationships and communications in university. As an analysis of the metaphors about academicianship, two themes were found that are nature of the profession and functions of the profession. Opinions about scientific research are gathered in two themes as nature of the scientific research and purpose of the scientific research. As a result of the research, it has been observed that the participants were gradually shifting away from the information-producing function of the universities and transformed into institutionalized, market-oriented, and mostly politically engaged institutions that fulfilled the teaching function between their basic functions. The participants also point out that scientific research is repetitive and of poor quality; and that the student is beginning to be seen as a customer.