The use of analogy in the teaching of solubility to pre-service primary teachers

A large-scale study of Indian and Fijian pre-service primary teachers in Fiji revealed that many teachers held alternative conceptions of fundamental scientific concepts. One example of this related to the scientific concept of the conservation of matter. It was discovered that the teachers were unclear how this concept related to the dissolution process. The dissolution of the highly coloured compound potassium permanganate was found to act as a useful analogy for the dissolution of colourless substances such as sugar. Post-study evaluation indicates that the analogy was successful in correcting the alternative conceptions observed, and was found to be successful for both ethnic groups who participated in the study. It is suggested that the findings may be of significance in informing teaching in other countries where teaching science in multicultural contexts is becoming increasingly commonplace.