Understanding needs embodiment: A theory‐guided reanalysis of the role of metaphors and analogies in understanding science

Niebert, Kai; Marsch, Sabine; Treagust, David F.

doi:10.1002/sce.21026

Cited by 138 publications

(113 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Our findings certainly corroborate the conclusions of those researchers concerned to scaffold children's learning with care, particularly those whom we cited earlier (e.g. see Niebert et al 2012). In their work to help young people develop scientific language, teachers must work thoughtfully as they initially accept children's everyday language and then help them to appreciate and use more formalised, scientific expressions and ideas, encouraging cross-checks in multiple modalities wherever possible.…”

Section: Conclusion and Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

“…As mentioned above, rather than attempting to replace everyday language with scientific language, as some researchers and educationalists have argued, we should recognise their coexistence (see Fleer and Ridgway 2007) and use the former as a basis to build (scaffold) the latter as originally advocated by Piaget and Vygotsky (see Vygotsky 2012), e.g. by analogy (see Niebert et al 2012). The matter interestingly connects to research into the conditions under which learning is understood to transfer.…”

Section: Conclusion and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Switching Between Everyday and Scientific Language

Blown

Bryce

2016

Res Sci Educ

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The research reported here investigated the everyday and scientific repertoires of children involved in semi-structured, Piagetian interviews carried out to check their understanding of dynamic astronomical concepts like daytime and night-time. It focused on the switching taking place between embedded and disembedded thinking; on the imagery which subjects referred to in their verbal dialogue and their descriptions of drawings and play-dough models of the Earth, Sun and Moon; and it examined the prevalence and character of animism and figurative speech in children's thinking. Five hundred and thirty-nine children (aged 3-18) from Wairarapa in New Zealand (171 boys and 185 girls) and Changchun in China (99 boys and 84 girls) took part in the study. Modified ordinal scales for the relevant concept categories were used to classify children's responses and data from each age group (with numbers balanced as closely as practicable by culture and gender) analysed with KolmogorovSmirnov two-sample tests (at an alpha level of 0.05). Although, in general, there was consistency of dynamic concepts within and across media and their associated modalities in keeping with the theory of conceptual coherence (see Blown and Bryce 2010; Bryce and Blown 2016), there were several cases of inter-modal and intra-modal switching in both cultures. Qualitative data from the interview protocols revealed how children switch between everyday and scientific language (in both directions) and use imagery in response to questioning. The research indicates that children's grasp of scientific ideas in this field may ordinarily be under-estimated if one only goes by formal scientific expression and vocabulary.Keywords Everyday and scientific language . Embedded and disembedded thinking . Switching . Animism and figurative speech . Astronomy . Daytime and night-time Much of the published research into the acquisition of scientific ideas by young people has concentrated upon their growing accumulation of correct or appropriately expressed terms for important concepts. This paper explores the boundaries between such language and the communications which precede and pre-determine its character. The empirical research which Res Sci Educ (2017) 47:621-653

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Section: Conclusion and Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Section: Conclusion and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Switching Between Everyday and Scientific Language

Blown

Bryce

2016

Res Sci Educ

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“…Another major topic in science education concerns the use of analogies in teaching and understanding science (Duit et al, 2001;Niebert et al, 2012). It has been shown that analogical representations can help students building and reflecting upon mental models based on their prior knowledge (Gentner, 1989).…”

Section: Benefits Of Analogical Representations To Understanding Leamentioning

confidence: 99%

Haptics and graphic analogies for the understanding of atomic force microscopy

Millet¹,

Lécuyer

Burkhardt³

et al. 2013

International Journal of Human-Computer Studies

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This paper aims to evaluate the benefits of using virtual reality and force-feedback to help teaching nanoscale applications. We propose a teaching aid that combines graphic analogies and haptics intended to improve the grasp of non-intuitive nanoscale phenomena for people without prior knowledge of nanophysics. We look specifically at the most important nanophysical phenomenon, namely, the behavior of the probe of an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) as it approaches a sample. The results from experiments carried out with 45 students indicate that a "magnet-spring" analogy helped beginners to establish the link between the behavior of a probe and its force-distance curve. The addition of haptic feedback increased focus about forces and improved the interpretation of the effect of cantilever stiffness. Haptic feedback and the analogical representation were very much appreciated by the subjects and had an impact on the construction of a mental model. Taken together, our results show a positive influence of using haptic feedback and graphic analogies, especially when students are first exposed to the notions that are in effect at the nanoscale.

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“…Here the electrostatic properties are hidden in the semiotics of the shielding term (Niebert, Marsch, & Treagust, 2012).…”

Section: Acs Used In Explaining Ionisation Energy Valuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving preservice chemistry teachers’ content knowledge through intervention activities

Wheeldon

2017

International Journal of Science Education

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The effect of intervention activities on the chemistry content knowledge of 92 preservice chemistry teachers (PSCT) was examined via a pre and post true/false with confidence level test focusing on ionisation energy values and the use of a common alternative conception (AC). Data were collected from three cohorts of PSCT each engaged in a one year full-time universitybased teacher education programme. Comparison of pre-and post-test responses and discrimination differences between responses for each PSCT were used to identify the use of the AC and hence the efficacy of the intervention activities. Interviews with 14 of these PSCT allowed triangulation of the data. Findings suggest that the activities allow 71% of PSCT to identify this AC as non-scientific or become more confident in doing so. Interview data indicate that this rejection of this AC is sustained for 9 of the 11 PSCT whose test data indicated improvement. These data have implications for teacher education such that 2 hour intervention sessions can offer the opportunity for PSCT to develop their subject matter knowledge. As the accurate application of electrostatic concepts to electrons has wider application to bonding, these interventions offer PSCT more accurate chemical subject knowledge resources to draw on in their teaching. ARTICLE HISTORY

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Understanding needs embodiment: A theory‐guided reanalysis of the role of metaphors and analogies in understanding science

Cited by 138 publications

References 45 publications

Switching Between Everyday and Scientific Language

Switching Between Everyday and Scientific Language

Haptics and graphic analogies for the understanding of atomic force microscopy

Improving preservice chemistry teachers’ content knowledge through intervention activities

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