Armstrong Metaphor Learning Journey
Has the metaphor of ‘learning journey’ any value in the analysis of research data on access, retention and ‘drop-out’ in higher education? Paul Armstrong, Researcher, RANLHE Project
Since the earliest times the act of travelling, of proceeding from one place to another, has been seen as a natural metaphor for learning, for the acquisition of experience and knowledge. (Bishop C. Hunt Jr., ‘Travel Metaphors and the Problem of Knowledge’,
Modern Language Studies, vol. 6, no. 1, Spring, 1976, p.44)
What’s a Metaphor?
Metaphors are often employed in academic research to assist in the analysis of data, particularly where learning is the core focus. According to Dickmeyer (1989) a metaphor is
‘a characterisation of a phenomenon in familiar terms’ and ‘to be effective in promoting understanding of the phenomenon in question, the ‘familiar terms’ must be graphic, visible and physical in our scale of the world’. He cites an example of a student being seen as ‘an empty vessel’ into whom knowledge is ‘poured’. He adds that
‘Metaphoric characterisations bear no real physical resemblance to the process being described , except in the most limited sense. A student is not a vessel; knowledge is not a liquid. Nevertheless we can act on these metaphors in reasonable ways.’
(Dickmeyer, 1989, p.151)
Dickmeyer identifies three reasons why metaphors help us to understand any phenomenon under study. Firstly, metaphors are ‘hortative’ – the associations often have connotations that may reflect, for example, the emotional dimensions of the phenomenon under study. A metaphor, for example, may intentionally be used to reveal the ‘dehumanization’ of learners.
A recent example from the United Kingdom is that with universities employing ‘business models’ to manage their finances, and with students having to take out lifelong loans to pay for their higher education, universities are beginning to perceive their students as ‘customers’, and hence the development of a rigorous quality assurance to
Since the earliest times the act of travelling, of proceeding from one place to another, has been seen as a natural metaphor for learning, for the acquisition of experience and knowledge. (Bishop C. Hunt Jr., ‘Travel Metaphors and the Problem of Knowledge’,
Modern Language Studies, vol. 6, no. 1, Spring, 1976, p.44)
What’s a Metaphor?
Metaphors are often employed in academic research to assist in the analysis of data, particularly where learning is the core focus. According to Dickmeyer (1989) a metaphor is
‘a characterisation of a phenomenon in familiar terms’ and ‘to be effective in promoting understanding of the phenomenon in question, the ‘familiar terms’ must be graphic, visible and physical in our scale of the world’. He cites an example of a student being seen as ‘an empty vessel’ into whom knowledge is ‘poured’. He adds that
‘Metaphoric characterisations bear no real physical resemblance to the process being described , except in the most limited sense. A student is not a vessel; knowledge is not a liquid. Nevertheless we can act on these metaphors in reasonable ways.’
(Dickmeyer, 1989, p.151)
Dickmeyer identifies three reasons why metaphors help us to understand any phenomenon under study. Firstly, metaphors are ‘hortative’ – the associations often have connotations that may reflect, for example, the emotional dimensions of the phenomenon under study. A metaphor, for example, may intentionally be used to reveal the ‘dehumanization’ of learners.
A recent example from the United Kingdom is that with universities employing ‘business models’ to manage their finances, and with students having to take out lifelong loans to pay for their higher education, universities are beginning to perceive their students as ‘customers’, and hence the development of a rigorous quality assurance to
References: Adair, N. (2007) ‘Personal Journeys of Discovery: What Do I Mean by ‘Learning’?’ Paper presented with Ivor Goodson at the Conference of the Network on Life History and Meditation and the Divine Light Mission. (Ph.D Thesis submitted to Department of Sociology, University of Essex, November 1977) Armstrong, P. F (1993) ‘Keeping the customer satisfied: research, accountability and the market place’ in N Boud, D. and Miller, N. (1996) Working with Experience: Animating Learning, London: Routledge. Burke, K. (1969) A Grammar of Motives. Berkeley: University of California Press Clark, G Clark, G. (2000) ‘Writing on Tour: Rethinking the Travel Metaphor’ JAC; Journal of Composition, pp Dickmeyer, N. (1989) ‘Metaphor, model and theory in education research’, Teachers College Record, 91, 2, pp Goffman, E. (1959) The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. New York: DoubledayAnchor Goodson, I Johnston, R. (2010) Access and Retention: Experiences of Non-traditional Learners in Higher Education: Literature Review Version 2 (2009) ‘Reaching the journey’s end: reflections on the final phase of a problem-based learning group’ Reflective Practice, 10, 5, pp Koh, A. (2009) ‘The visualization of education policy: a videological analysis of Learning Journeys’, Journal of Education Policy, 24, 3, pp Morrice, L. (2009) ‘Journeys into higher education: the case of refugees in the UK’ Teaching in Higher Education, 14, 6, pp Quilty, A. (2008) ‘When one can’t see the wood for the trees! Educaton, trainng and learning and the metaphorical spaces of adult education discourse’ in J Reynolds, Roberts, J., Jephcote, M., Salisbury, J. and Rees, G (2007), The Learning Journey: Adults’ Experiences of Further Education Salisbury, J., Jephcote, M., Rees, G. and Roberts, J. (2007), The Learning Journey: Young People’s Experiences of Further Education Working Paper No Socolow, E. (1998) ‘Travel and transience’ College Composition and Communication, pp. Sullivan, D. L. (1993) ‘The ethos of epideictic encounter’. Philosophy and Rhetoric,.26 , pp.