A case study analysing the process of analogy‐based learning in a teaching unit about simple electric circuits

Abstract

The purpose of this case study is to analyse the learning processes of a 16‐year‐old student as she learns about simple electric circuits in response to an analogy‐based teaching sequence. Analogical thinking processes are modelled by a sequence of four steps according to Gentner's structure mapping theory (activate base domain, postulate local matches, connect them to a global match, draw candidate inferences). We consider whether Gentner's theory can be used to account for the details of this specific teaching/learning context. The case study involved video‐taping teaching and learning activities in a 10th‐grade high school course in Germany. Teaching used water flow through pipes as an analogy for electrical circuits. Using Gentner's theory, relational nets were created from the student's statements at different stages of her learning. Overall, these nets reflect the four steps outlined earlier. We also consider to what extent the learning processes revealed by this case study are different from previous analyses of contexts in which no analogical knowledge is available.