Use of Pedagogical Analogical Model in Science Teaching: DNA Model with Clothespins

Abstract

In the present research, the “DNA Model with Clothespins” activity was designed to teach the subjects of nucleotide, DNA, and DNA replication, which are abstract subjects of science. The aim of the research, which was carried out with 20 students in 8th grade, was to examine the effects of the activity on students’ achievement on the subject. This paper presents the design, implementation, and evaluation processes of the activity. The pedagogical analogical model, which is a visual analogy tool that simplifies students’ complex knowledge and concretizes their abstract knowledge to provide meaningful and long-lasting learning, was used. An achievement test was administered as a pre-test and post-test to evaluate the activity, and students’ views were taken about the activity. Data analysis revealed that students’ achievement increased in the post-test. Additionally, the students thought that the activity was fun and instructive and enabled them to learn permanently and to understand better.