Can Analogy Help in Science Education Research?

Abstract

“Midway between the unintelligible and the commonplace, it is a metaphor which most produces knowledge.” (Aristotle, cited in Gardner, 1983. p. 34). Analogy in research should not be so hackneyed that it reveals nothing new, so poorly known that there can be little confidence in the insights generated, or so obscure that it can only communicate ideas to a few. The merit of analogy in research lies not in any measure of the absoluteness of similarity between the target and analog. Rather, the worth of analogical analysis lies in the mental inquiry it promotes; the knowledge produced by this inquiry, the cognitive engagement of researcher and others, and the communication afforded. To be productive, the analogy should be contentious enough to provoke and challenge thinking but agreeable enough to resonate with others’ experience of the phenomenon under study. It is a fine line but a fine line worth treading.