The use of analogies in biology and chemistry at secondary school level

Abstract

Teachers’ perceptions of analogy use in biology and chemistry teaching were investigated. The three research questions were: What do biology and chemistry teachers think about the use, benefits and limitations of analogies? What are teachers’ perspectives on using analogies? What are teachers’ perspectives on students’ analogy construction? Biology and chemistry teachers answered a questionnaire. The first section yielded descriptive statistics about: the advantages/disadvantages of the use of analogies; different analogies cited by teachers; and the topics where analogies are mostly used. The second section contained Likert scale items that generated inferences about the teacher population and comparisons between biology, chemistry and teachers of both subjects. Ten teacher interviews – five per subject – allowed for deeper insights on the last two research questions, where a student worksheet (having two sections: an analogy and students constructing an analogy) was discussed. Most teachers agreed that advantages of analogies outweigh disadvantages. They expressed the need for further training on the effective use of analogies and the mitigation of disadvantages. Student analogy construction raised diverging reactions, with teachers suggesting possible advantages to analogy interpretation alongside further challenges.