The objective of this descriptive study is to provide a detailed examination of science teachers' perspectives regarding scientific knowledge, science learning, science concepts, and science teaching. A total of 304 science teachers created metaphors to express their cognitions about the epistemological aspects of their work. A specifically…

This study provides insights into the use of metaphors in protein synthesis descriptions in upper secondary chemistry and biology textbooks. Data were collected from seven Swedish textbooks and analyzed with the Metaphor Identification Protocol and categorized within the framework of Conceptual Metaphor Theory. The results reveal two main parallel…

This commentary proposes the metaphor of "languaging-as-practice" in science education as an alternative to "language-as-tool" metaphors. Describing language as a tool implicitly positions language as static and unchanging and assumes that named languages are distinct and bounded entities. In contrast, describing languaging as…

Interdisciplinary studies can create synergy across various fields, allowing for knowledge in a previously specialized area to support other disciplines. A number of scientific theories and laws have been applied in other domains to explain the latter's phenomenon; the adaptation of Newton's Gravitational Law for studies of bilateral trade,…

In this paper, a self-created analogy is presented based on comparing the process of osmosis with a situation recreated in a train carriage. It was implemented with upper-secondary education students at a secondary school in Chiclana de la Frontera (Cádiz, Spain). To assess the progression of the students' models on osmosis, their activities…

The purpose of this convergent parallel mixed methods study was to explore the use of personification stories as an instructional strategy by high school science teachers to inform the creation of a new model for personification storytelling to support science instruction. There are a limited number of models available to science instructors to…

Previous research suggests that the use of metaphors in science education have both possibilities and challenges. In this study, we analyse the role of metaphors in meaning-making in the upper primary science classroom. We investigate the potential of metaphors about nutrient uptake occurring in classrooms in which an animation was used. To…

Creating a metaphor for the concept of energy can contribute to the determination of the mental structuring of the concept of energy. Pre-service teachers' metaphors about the concept of energy were classified according to traditional and scientific fields. The metaphors produced by the mathematics and science teacher candidates for the concept of…

Energy is a concept frequently encountered both in daily life and in various disciplines. Despite such a wide range of scope, conceptualizing it might be challenging at times. This study aims to investigate high school students' views on the concept of energy through a set of various paper-and-pencil tests. For this purpose, 654 high school…

This research explored the impact of analogies and metaphors on the academic performance of senior school students in genetics within Ilorin, Nigeria. Three research questions and corresponding hypotheses were formulated and tested at a significance level of 0.05. A quasi-experimental design was used, involving 117 senior secondary school…

The analogy among momentum, heat and mass transport phenomena is an important concept in chemical engineering education. This paper presents the analogy between heat exchanger and packed column calculations. The effectiveness-NTU method used to calculate outlet temperatures of hot and cold streams in an exchanger is introduced in a packed column…

Metaphor generation is both a creative act and a means of learning. When learning a new concept, people often create a metaphor to connect the new concept to existing knowledge. Does the manner in which people generate a metaphor, via sudden insight (Aha! moment) or deliberate analysis, influence the quality of generation and subsequent learning…

The role of science teachers in the formation of students' approaches to chemistry subjects is very important. Metaphors can be used as a data collection tool to determine what meanings science teachers, who are preparing to step into the teaching profession, attribute to some concepts. It is important to know how chemistry is perceived by science…

Certain explanatory elements or documents can convey unambiguously inaccurate explanations, or they may simply suggest such explanations and encourage a critical passivity towards them. This chapter presents these "risk factors", in particular: the accuracy of the conclusion and the associated "confirmation bias" (two…

It could be argued that the main goal of the teaching process is to create accurate projections of scientific models in the minds of individuals. In this context, it could be argued that it is important to determine the change and development of the mental models that individuals create for events/phenomena and related metaphors in this process.…