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Analogy and Science Education

How do we learn?

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"all knowledge is ultimately rooted in metaphorical (or analogical) modes of perception and thought" *(Leary, 1990, p. 2)

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What is an Analogy?

http://dbcompetitive.forumotion.com/t345-analogies

The past research:Courses were taught with and without addition of

analogies -> test scores significantly higher with analogy in all studies found

Understanding of text passages with and without analogies compared -> some studies found positive results while other did not Determining factors believed to be how well the

analogies were explained and how much time the readers were allotted

The gap:What can be done to make text-based analogies

more effective?The research question:

Does changing the location of the analogy within the passage significantly alter its effectiveness?

Analogies in Education

Method

Analogy Passage

Analogy Passage

Literal Passage

Literal Passage

n1 = n2=3

n1 = n2=2

Scores by Question for entire dataset Scores by Question for participants who have taken

at most one class

Results

0.52 0.72 0.85 0.12 1.00 0.92

0.42 0.70 0.70 0.42 1.00 1.00T-test results T-test results

BibliographyDilber R, Duzgun B. 2008. Effectiveness of analogy on student’s success and elimination of misconceptions. Lat Am J Phys Educ [Internet]. [cited 2011 Jan 26]; 2(3): 174-183. Available from http://www.journal.lapen.org.mx/sep08/LAJPE_171_Dilber_F.pdf System Requirements: Adobe Acrobat.Orgill M, Bodner GM. 2006. An analysis of the effectiveness of analogy use in college-level biochemistry textbooks. J of Research in Sci Teaching [Internet]. [cited 2011 Jan 26]; 40(10): 1040-1060. Available from Wiley Online Library: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/tea.20129/pdf System Requirements: Adobe Acrobat.Thagard P. 1992. Analogy, explanation, and education. J of R in Sci Teaching [Internet]. [cited 2011 26 Jan]; 29(6): 537-544. Available From Wiley Online Library: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/tea.3660290603/abstract System Requirements: Adobe Acrobat, Membership possibly required.Iding MK. 1997. How analogies foster learning from science texts. Instructional Science [Internet]. [cited 2011 Jan 27]; 25(4): 233. Available From SpringerLink: http://www.springerlink.com/content/n31276060132p587/ System Requirements: Adobe Acrobat, Membership possibly required.Chiu MH, Lin JW. 2005. Promoting fourth graders’ conceptual change of their understanding of electric current via multiple analogies. J of R in Sci Teaching [Internet]. [cited 2011 Feb 16]; 42(4): 429-464. Available from Wiley Online Library: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/tea.20062/abstract System Requirements: Adobe Acrobat, Membership possibly required.Pena G, Andrade-Filho JS. 2008. Analogies in medicine: valuable for learning, reasoning, remembering and naming. Adv in Health Sci Educ [Internet]. [cited 2011 Feb 16]; 15(4): 609-619. Available from SpringerLink: http://www.springerlink.com/content/m686w382156l13j9/ System Requirements: Adobe Acrobat, Membership possibly required.1999. 2.4 Metaphors and Analogies in Scientific Thinking [Internet]. Charlottesville, Virginia, US: University of Virginia. [cited 2011 April 13]. Available from: http://repo-nt.tcc.virginia.edu/book/chap2/chapter2sec4.html