Perceptions of Sports Sciences Students Regarding the Concept of Nutrition

Authors : Zeynep Hazal Ateş, Mustafa Koç

Pages : 217-228

Doi:10.46463/ijrss.1724933

View : 96 | Download : 145

Publication Date : 2025-12-22

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :The aim of this study is to reveal the perceptions of sports science students—who are both athletes themselves and future sports educators—regarding the concept of \\\"nutrition\\\" through metaphors. The participants consisted of 114 students enrolled in the Faculty of Sports Sciences at Gümüşhane University. Data were collected by having each student complete the sentence, \\\"Nutrition is like … because …\\\" Content analysis was used to analyze the data. A total of 67 metaphors were generated by the students, which were categorized into three main groups. It was found that 53.5% of the students perceive nutrition as a physiological need, which was expressed through metaphors such as watering a tree, gasoline, lifeline, breath, and oxygen. Meanwhile, 22.8% of the students evaluated nutrition as a concept of healthy living, represented by metaphors such as activity, sport, vitamins, renewal, and strength. Additionally, 23.7% of the students associated nutrition with an emotional meaning, using metaphors such as father, lover, hobby, and teacher. The majority of students (92.1%) developed positive metaphors related to sports, while 7.9% produced negative metaphors. The most frequently used metaphors included gold, breath, oxygen, water, and fuel. Notably, most of these metaphors represent concepts essential for human survival and are considered highly valuable in material terms. This indicates that students recognize nutrition as both a fundamental requirement for life and a highly significant concept in their value system. Moreover, abstract concepts such as life, health, and lifestyle, as well as emotional metaphors like love, affection, and lover, were also developed. To compare the metaphor groups created by the participants according to certain characteristics, a Chi-Square (X²) test was conducted, which showed no significant differences in metaphor categories based on being a licensed athlete, taking a sports nutrition course, or having adequate and balanced nutrition. Overall, the study revealed that sports science students perceive the concept of nutrition in a positive and holistic manner. They metaphorically represented both physiological elements essential for sustaining life (breath, water, fuel) and emotional and abstract values (love, health, lifestyle). To reinforce this perception, it is recommended that nutrition education be concretized through course modules and short-term workshop applications, thereby enhancing students’ conceptual awareness.
Keywords : beslenme, metafor, spor bilimleri

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