Abstract:

This study investigated how analogies were used in science textbooks and what science educators’ opinions were about the effective use of analogies in science teaching. While the document analysis research methodology was used in the first part, survey research was carried out in the second part. First, content analysis was conducted to science textbooks from the 3rd grade to the 8th grade used in 2017-2018 academic year. Then, which issues are important for increasing the effectiveness of analogies in science teaching were examined by implementing a questionnaire to science educators (n=130) in two universities. Totally 141 analogies with different properties were identified in science textbooks. In addition, about the effective use of analogies, science educators mostly explained that analogies should be verbal and pictorial; concretize the abstract things; have enriched or extended mapping; explain the analog when constructing analogies; be constructed from the environment; be presented by inquiry and discussion; and state the dissimilarities.  

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