Metaphorical concepts in molecular biology students’ texts – a way to improve subject-matter understanding
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5617/nordina.1593Keywords:
Popular science communication, Concetual metaphors, Bachelor Students, Comparative Metaphor AnalysisAbstract
Earlier research brings evidence that metaphors facilitate our understanding of the world. In this study we explore Bachelor students’ popular science articles on molecular biology with the aim to determine the frequency and nature of metaphorical concepts used in the articles. For this purpose, a comparative metaphor analysis of students’ texts was conducted. The results show that only few students (5 out of 47) use metaphorical concepts when writing about complex molecular biological mechanisms to non-specialist readers. We discuss that the use of metaphors not only reflect, but may also support, the writer’s subject understanding, especially when metaphorical concepts are created by the writer herself. We suggest that the invention of metaphorical concepts when explaining subject-matter to a layman could be a way for students to improve their subject understanding.
Downloads
Additional Files
Published
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).