Science Education and the Analogy Method in the Türkiye Century Maarif Model Preschool Education Curriculum: An Analysis in Terms of Scientific Thinking, Conceptual Learning, and Concretization

In this study, the Türkiye Century Maarif Model Preschool Education Curriculum, which came into effect in 2024, and its Science Domain Teacher Guidebook were analyzed in terms of the analogy method. The aim of the study was to reveal the opportunities the curriculum offers regarding scientific thinking, conceptual learning, and the concretization of abstract science concepts. The research was conducted using a document analysis design within a qualitative research approach, and the data were analyzed through descriptive and inductive content analysis techniques. The findings showed that the reasoning skill within the conceptual skills component of the curriculum explicitly defines analogy as a reasoning approach alongside induction and deduction. It was also determined that the science domain skill of “scientific model construction” directly targets the concretization of abstract science phenomena. Analogy- and concretization-based examples were identified in the guidebook activities, such as modeling the atmosphere with recycled materials, representing the lungs with a balloon, and depicting clouds with cotton. However, it was found that the curriculum does not structure analogy as a systematic instructional model and does not provide teachers with sufficient guidance regarding the limitations of analogy. The study offers recommendations for a more explicit and structured use of analogy in preschool science education.

Cite this article as: Şahin, H., & Tuğluk, M. N. (2026). Science education and the analogy method in the Türkiye Century Maarif Model Preschool Education Curriculum: An analysis in terms of scientific thinking, conceptual learning, and concretization. HAYEF: Journal of Education, 23, 0060, doi: 10.5152/hayef.2026.26060.