The use of analogies in science communication: Effectiveness of an activity in initial primary science teacher education

Abstract

This article presents a study focused on analysing the effectiveness of an activity about the use of analogies in science communication. The activity consisted of reading two science articles published in a prestigious digital newspaper about the first image of a black hole. The purpose was (i) to identify and analyse the analogies used in the news articles, and (ii) to assess the advantages and possible limitations of their use in communicating scientific ideas. The activity was performed with prospective primary education teachers (PPTs) who were receiving instruction in science teaching. Their responses were analysed descriptively with a rubric developed in accordance with methods of qualitative content analysis. The results indicate that the PPTs achieved a moderate progression in their conceptions of the use of analogies in science communication and, overall, it can be said that the activity had a positive educative effect. Finally, a discussion of the implications and limitations of the study for PPTs’ training in the use of analogies is presented.