Research Summary: Affective engagement across metaphor-related discourse moves in statistics education

Research from Frontiers in Education indicates that metaphor-related discourse moves in statistics tutoring are associated with variations in learner affective engagement. The study combined fine-grained discourse analysis with psychophysiological measurement, identifying six specific discourse categories linked to learner arousal. The findings suggest that instructional methods, particularly the use and framing of metaphors, significantly influence moment-to-moment learner engagement.

Why it matters

Understanding how specific instructional discourse, particularly metaphor use, impacts learner engagement is crucial for optimizing educational outcomes. This research highlights the need for pedagogical strategies that actively manage affective states to enhance learning effectiveness, especially with abstract or complex subjects.

Key insights

• Affective engagement in statistics education, specifically learner arousal, is influenced by metaphor-related discourse moves during one-on-one tutoring.
• The study identified six key discourse move categories: Metaphor Construction, Metaphor Scaffolding, Affective Framing, Metacognitive Prompting, Learner Response, and Boundary Cues.
• Psychophysiological data (skin conductance response) from novice learners were used to measure continuous arousal and align with coded discourse events.
• Moment-to-moment discourse mechanisms involving metaphors play a role in sustaining engagement with abstract educational material.

Source

Frontiers in Education — https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2026.1831504