How should textbook analogies be used in teaching physics?

Abstract

Analogies are suitable for teaching scientific concepts by comparing an unknown with a known. For this reason, they are widely used by textbook authors or science teachers for different aims such as introduction, clarification, or discrimination of new concepts. This study examines the analogies used in elementary science textbooks from 3rd to 8th grades and criticizes the use of analogies. By considering Glynn's teaching-with-analogies approach, this study identifies the missing parts of the analogies that should be revised and presents examples of how textbook analogies could be improved by teachers in teaching physics concepts.