Learning Concepts from Biology Text Through Pictorial Analogies and an Analogical Study Guide

Abstract

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that combining a pictorial analogy with its written form would produce greater understanding of biology concepts than would use of an analogical study guide alone. One hundred and eleven high school students were randomly assigned by class to treatment and control conditions. The three treatment conditions consisted of (a) a lecture on cell parts and functions accompanied by a pictorial analogy to a factory and an analogical study guide showing how the various part of a cell are like the parts of a factory, (b) the same lecture and analogical guide as condition (a) but without the pictorial analogy, and (c) an analogical guide without teacher explanation. The control condition consisted of independent reading in a text that included author-supplied analogies to a factory. Two dependent measures consisted of a 14-item cell structure/function matching test and a short essay question on cells. The results indicated that those students who received instruction combining a pictorial analogy comparing the cell to a factory and an analogical guide displayed significantly better comprehension of this material than did their peers, in conditions where the pictorial representation was not included. The present study has implications for text and lesson design emphasizing the integration of pictorial and written analogies.