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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
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
FullText Text:
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  Data: 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
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sweden%22">Sweden</searchLink>
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  Data: 1360-1431<br />2040-8633
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  Data: 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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  Data: 2026
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  Data: EJ1493904
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    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 17
        StartPage: 16
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Figurative Language
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Reflection
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Technology Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Compulsory Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Teaching Experience
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
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      – SubjectFull: Grade 4
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Grade 5
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      – SubjectFull: Grade 6
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      – SubjectFull: Grade 7
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      – SubjectFull: Grade 8
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      – SubjectFull: Grade 9
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      – SubjectFull: Teacher Attitudes
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      – SubjectFull: Cognitive Structures
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      – SubjectFull: Sweden
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      – TitleFull: The Way Technology Teachers Think: The Role of Metaphor and Reflection for Technology Education Practice
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              Type: published
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