Using an analogical teaching approach to engender conceptual change

Abstract

This investigation set out to assess the efficacy of using analogies to engender conceptual change in student's science learning about the refraction of light. Following instruction by the same teacher, two classes of students, one of which was taught analogically and one which was not, were interviewed three months after instruction using an interview‐about‐instances protocol. The verbatim transcripts and interviewer notes were interpreted from a constructivist perspective in an attempt to determine the status of each student's conceptions of refraction of light. The findings from this study, described in terms of class results and three case studies, illustrate the utility of an analogical teaching approach for engendering conceptual change.