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When physics becomes abstract, analogies emerge: Examining the characteristics and pedagogical quality of analogies in high school physics textbooks

Osman Aksit and Ulku Seher Budak

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Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 22, 020126 – Published 31 August, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/ch6t-qvz6

Abstract

This study examines the pedagogical quality and instructional adequacy of analogies included in high school physics textbooks (grades 9–12) in Türkiye. The analogies extracted systematically from 15 physics textbooks revealed a significant imbalance in their use across grade levels. The vast majority of the analogies were concentrated in the 10th grade textbooks, while their occurrence in other grades remained quite limited. A similar imbalance was also observed in subject focus: most of the analogies were allocated to the conceptually challenging and highly abstract topic of electricity, while other fundamental physics topics were largely neglected. In terms of pedagogical quality, all of the analogies were classified as either moderate or good according to Glynn’s teaching-with-analogies model. However, most of the analogies reviewed lacked a step for identifying their limitations, thereby increasing the risk of misalignment and the development of misconceptions. The analogies were also predominantly of the concrete-abstract type, which helps students connect abstract physics concepts to concrete examples from daily life, and were largely based on functional similarity, meaning they focus on how the concept works rather than its structural features. Furthermore, the increased emphasis on the relevance of analogies to learners’ backgrounds reflects a positive trend toward enhancing the contextual richness of analogies. To address the quantitative insufficiency of analogies and the imbalance across subject areas, it is essential that curriculum developers position analogical thinking as a required pedagogical tool for textbook authors.

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Outline

Information

Phys. Rev. Phys. Educ. Res. 22, 020126– Published 31 August, 2026
  • Received 5 January 2026
  • Accepted 26 June 2026
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

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