ABSTRACT
Many of the goals of research on conceptual metaphor in science education overlap with the goals of
research on conceptual change. The relevance of a conceptual metaphor perspective to the study of
conceptual change has already been discussed. However, a substantial body of literature on
conceptual metaphor in science education has now emerged. This work has not yet been
synthesized or related explicitly to the goals of conceptual change research. This paper first
presents a broad sketch of the study of conceptual change, characterizing the goals of this body of
work, its contributions to date, and identifying open questions. Next, the literature on conceptual
metaphor in science education is reviewed against this background. The review clarifies the
natural theoretical connections between the conceptual metaphor perspective and the
phenomenon of conceptual change. It then examines the contributions made by the literature on
conceptual metaphor in science education to the goals of research on conceptual change-
namely, characterizing student conceptions, identifying obstacles to learning, understanding the
process of conceptual change, and designing productive pedagogical strategies that could achieve
conceptual change. The paper concludes with a discussion of further avenues for research into
conceptual change, suggested by adopting a conceptual metaphor perspective.
