Investigation of theses and articles using analogy method in chemistry education: A meta synthesis study

In this study, it is aimed to examine the theses and articles in the national literature where the analogy method is used in the field of chemical education by meta-synthesis method. The meta-synthesis method is based on the compilation of studies conducted in a particular subject or field and the interpretation of their results. Twenty studies were examined in the study, six of which were dissertations and fourteen of which were articles. Four of the studies examined were studies in which analogies in textbooks were examined, while sixteen studies were studies in which a teaching model was used with an experiment conducted in a classroom setting and analogies applied in a control group. As a result, according to the data obtained from the findings examined through meta-synthesis; It has been observed that the use of analogy positively affects the learning of students in translating abstract facts into concrete concepts, building bridges between old and new information, and associating them with daily life. It has been observed that the analogy method is mostly more effective in increasing academic achievement compared to the traditional method (T1-T3, M1-M14). Positive approaches to analogy have been identified in the studies, taking into account the opinions and attitudes of the students. In the investigated articles , it was also determined that different applications were used, such as presenting analogies with proverbs (M13), measuring analogy with drawings and descriptions (M3). It has been observed that analogies are effective in reducing misunderstandings formed in students (T1, M2, M4, M9). In this context, it can be said that analogies play an important role in eliminating and detecting misunderstandings. The analogies used in textbooks have been used more at the secondary education level in our country compared to other countries, the reason for this can be expressed as the fact that the analogies used are mostly simple analogies (T4). In studies examining analogies in the textbooks, it was seen that mostly simple analogies, to a lesser extent verbal and enriched analogies were used, in addition, it has been observed that analogies are not used much as a final organizer (M8). It may be suggested to use verbal-pictorial instead of verbal, to use enriched-expanded analogies instead of simple, and it may be proposed to increase the number of recent organizing analogies (T4, T5, T6). The use of verbal-pictorial analogies can be preferred due to the fact that they increase catchiness. These shortcomings in the types of analogies in textbooks can lead to a misconception and misunsınıftanding of the analogy. It may be recommended that teachers be informed about analogies in-service trainings in classroom applications and that pilot studies be conducted prior to implementation. It can be said that it is important to specify the limitations or different aspects of the given analogies in order to avoid or minimize misunderstandings.