Science Learning for Lower Secondary School Students : Using Metaphorical Expressions in Explaining Natural Phenomena

Abstract

The evolution of scientific vocabulary often involves extensions of meaning through metaphorical reapplication of existing words in our life. In other words, scientific theories are extensions of basic metaphors in our everyday conceptual frameworks. These conceptions also exist in lower secondary school students, and they interact dynamically with various aspects of the intellectual environment. In this study, we verified the evolution of the students' metaphorical expressions in science learning by focusing on teaching the scientific concept of decomposition in chemistry. We have concluded that using metaphorical expressions in explaining natural phenomena enhanced the students' ability to learn such concepts.