An Analysis of Metaphors Used by Students to Describe Energy in an Interdisciplinary General Science Course

Abstract

The meaning of the term energy varies widely in scientific and colloquial discourse. Teasing apart the different connotations of the term can be especially challenging for non-science majors. In this study, undergraduate students taking an interdisciplinary, general science course (n = 49) were asked to explain the role of energy in five contexts: radiation, transportation, generating electricity, earthquakes, and the big bang theory. The responses were qualitatively analyzed under the framework of conceptual metaphor theory. This study presents evidence that non-science major students spontaneously use metaphorical language that is consistent with the conceptual metaphors of energy previously identified in the discourse of students in introductory physics, biology, and chemistry courses. Furthermore, most students used multiple coherent metaphors to explain the role of energy in these complex topics. This demonstrates that these conceptual metaphors for energy have broader applicability than just traditional scientific contexts. Implications for this work as a formative assessment tool in instruction will also be discussed.

Keywords:

• Student conceptions
• Interdisciplinary science
• Conceptual metaphor
• Formative assessment

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Note that some researchers use the term analogy to refer to the mapping between cognitive domains, but I am using it here in the literary sense to describe the actual language used by students.

2. An isolated system is one that is isolated from the surrounding environment. An open system is one in which energy can be transferred to and from the surrounding environment. By definition, energy is not conserved in open systems.

3. Usable energy refers to energy that can do work in a system, as opposed to energy dissipated to the environment (and therefore lost from the system).

4. It is worth noting that textbooks do not necessarily reflect the ideals of the disciplines. However, they are a primary source of information for students, and an important resource for teachers. At lower levels, teachers may learn the content from the text, and at higher levels the professors use the text to help them translate the content into language the students can understand. For these reasons they merit critical examination.

5. Table 3 lists this as a common metaphor for chemical reactions, but this was primarily due to students employing the ingredient/product aspect of the metaphor and not the energy storage metaphor. See Lancor (2014b) for details.