This paper argues that the metaphorical representation of concepts and the appropriation of language-based construals can be hypothesized as additional sources of conceptual change alongside those previously proposed. Analyses of construals implicit in the lay and scientific use of the noun energy from the perspective of the theory of conceptual metaphor are summarized. The experientially grounded metaphorical construals identified in both uses help conceptualize the shift from the concrete, naïve to the abstract, scientific understanding of energy. The case of the concept of energy motivates the more general hypothesis that an important part of learning a highly abstract (even mathematical) concept is the appropriation of experientially grounded metaphorical construals implicit in scientific discourse. Pedagogical implications of this proposal are discussed.

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4 Orientation and Theoretical BackgroundWe introduce here a special issue of this journal on the theme of "Conceptual Metaphor and Embodied Cognition in Science Learning." The idea for this issue grew out of a symposium that we organized on this topic at the conference of the European Science Education Research Association (ESERA) in September 2013. The eight papers collected in this issue reflect the emergence of a critical mass of studies in science education applying ideas from the perspective of "embodied cognition" in cognitive science. Up until the 1980s, most research in cognitive science assumed a view of the mind as an abstract information processing system. On this view, our sensorimotor systems were often seen as serving a peripheral, input/output role, conveying information to or from a central cognitive processor where abstract, higher level thought took place. The research focused on developing models of cognition incorporating language-like, propositional representations and syntactic processes, and largely ignored the specifics of human physiology and interaction between the person and the material and social world in which he or she thinks and acts. Since then, several different approaches to cognitive science have adopted some version of the assumption that cognition is embodied -that is, they have assumed that models of cognition need to attend to the characteristics of human brains and bodies, and the material contexts in which thought is taking place (e.g. Barsalou, 2008;Clark & Chalmers, 1998;Shapiro, 2011; Varela, Thompson, & Rosch, 1991;Wilson, 2002) Wilson (2002) carefully distinguishes and assesses six distinct claims that fall under the general heading of embodied cognition: (1) that cognitive processes are situated, varying depending on the real-world contexts in which they are carried out;(2) that cognitive processes must be understood with respect to the specific temporal 5 constraints imposed on our brains by the environment when cognitive tasks are carried out; (3) that cognitive processes recruit the material, symbolic and social structure of the environment, reducing what actually needs to be performed in the mind itself; (4) that cognitive systems can be viewed as extended, where there is no sharp divide between internal and external contributions to cognition; (5) that the function of cognition is not primarily to represent the external world but to guide action in it; (6) that even cognition that takes place in the "mind" proper relies on knowledge structures that emerge from body-based experiences. This introduction is not the place for a discussion of Wilson's evaluation of these claims. We simply note that she finds the fourth claim "deeply problematic" but cautiously accepts the first three and fifth claims, suggesting that the range of applicability of each still needs to be more fully assessed.The sixth claim she considers to be the most powerful of all the claims and reviews evidence suggesting that body-based cognitive representations and processes ground a wide ran...

Various features of scientific discourse have been characterized in the science education literature and challenges students face in appropriating these features have been explored. Using the framework of conceptual metaphor, this paper sought to identify explicit and implicit metaphors in pedagogical texts dealing with the concept of entropy and the second law of thermodynamics, an abstract and challenging domain for learners. Three university level textbooks were analyzed from a conceptual metaphor perspective and a range of explicit and implicit metaphors identified. Explicit metaphors identified include Entropy As Disorder, Thermodynamics Processes As Movements Along A Path, and Energetic Exchange As Financial Transactions among others. Implicit metaphors include application and elaboration of the generic Location Event Structure metaphor, application of the Object Event Structure metaphor, and others. The similarities and differences between explicit and implicit metaphors found in the textbooks are also described. Two key pedagogical implications are discussed: that the selection of explicit instructional metaphors can be guided by consistency with implicit metaphors; and that the range of implicit metaphors found in pedagogical texts imply that a multiple instructional metaphor strategy is warranted. The depth of the phenomenon of conceptual metaphor and its implications for future research are also discussed.Arrow of Time 3