The Way Technology Teachers Think: The Role of Metaphor and Reflection for Technology Education Practice
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| Title: | The Way Technology Teachers Think: The Role of Metaphor and Reflection for Technology Education Practice |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Andreas Larsson |
| Source: | Design and Technology Education. 2025 30(3):16-32. |
| Availability: | Design and Technology Association. 11 Manor Court, Banbury, OX16 5TB, UK. Tel: +44-1789-470007; Fax: +44-1789-470-007; e-mail: info@data.org.uk; Web site: https://openjournals.ljmu.ac.uk/DesignTechnologyEducation |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 17 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Elementary Education Grade 4 Intermediate Grades Grade 5 Middle Schools Grade 6 Grade 7 Junior High Schools Secondary Education Grade 8 Grade 9 High Schools |
| Descriptors: | Figurative Language, Reflection, Technology Education, Compulsory Education, Teaching Experience, Foreign Countries, Grade 4, Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8, Grade 9, Teacher Attitudes, Cognitive Structures |
| Geographic Terms: | Sweden |
| ISSN: | 1360-1431 2040-8633 |
| Abstract: | This study investigates how technology teachers reflect on their practice by examining the metaphorical structures that underpin their reasoning. Drawing on Conceptual Metaphor Theory and supported by an AI-assisted Metaphor Identification Procedure (MIP), the analysis focuses on recurring metaphorical themes that shape how teachers make sense of challenges, plan instruction, and imagine future classroom scenarios. The results reveal a set of interrelated themes -- such as time as a resource, learning as motion, teaching as burden, and structure as cohesion -- that reflect and reinforce a view of teaching as a managed and goal-oriented activity. These metaphors are not merely descriptive devices; they function as cognitive tools that organise experience and support pedagogical decision-making. By framing teaching through metaphors of motion, containment, construction, and effort, teachers can navigate complex classroom dynamics and articulate a coherent sense of professional agency. The findings suggest that metaphor plays a dual role in reflection: both representing experience and guiding prospective reasoning. In this sense, metaphors support what is often described as reflection-for-action, where familiar conceptual frames are used to simulate possible futures. By surfacing these metaphorical patterns, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of how teachers conceptualise their work and offers a foundation for professional dialogue and development in technology education. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1493904 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | This study investigates how technology teachers reflect on their practice by examining the metaphorical structures that underpin their reasoning. Drawing on Conceptual Metaphor Theory and supported by an AI-assisted Metaphor Identification Procedure (MIP), the analysis focuses on recurring metaphorical themes that shape how teachers make sense of challenges, plan instruction, and imagine future classroom scenarios. The results reveal a set of interrelated themes -- such as time as a resource, learning as motion, teaching as burden, and structure as cohesion -- that reflect and reinforce a view of teaching as a managed and goal-oriented activity. These metaphors are not merely descriptive devices; they function as cognitive tools that organise experience and support pedagogical decision-making. By framing teaching through metaphors of motion, containment, construction, and effort, teachers can navigate complex classroom dynamics and articulate a coherent sense of professional agency. The findings suggest that metaphor plays a dual role in reflection: both representing experience and guiding prospective reasoning. In this sense, metaphors support what is often described as reflection-for-action, where familiar conceptual frames are used to simulate possible futures. By surfacing these metaphorical patterns, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of how teachers conceptualise their work and offers a foundation for professional dialogue and development in technology education. |
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| ISSN: | 1360-1431 2040-8633 |
