Scientific metaphors and the space between: Metaphoric coherence and incoherence in NASA’s education and public outreach

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2019-08

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Abstract

In scientific writing, metaphors are often avoided due to their perceived ambiguity (Ceccarelli, 1998). However, within this ambiguity lies an opportunity to develop a systematic metaphor strategy that helps—not hinders—public understanding of science communication (Arcand & Watzke, 2014; Gronnvoll & Landau, 2010; Lakoff & Johnson, 2003).
This dissertation outlines a plan to analyze the specific case of metaphoric language in NASA’s education communication from 1997 to 2017 asking: how does metaphoric (in)coherence contribute to NASA’s Education and Public Outreach(E/PO)? To investigate this question, I will apply a systematic view of metaphor (Lakoff & Johnson, 2003) to conduct close-reading analysis (Brummett, 2009) to critique metaphor use in NASA’s instructional documents. I propose that tracing metaphor (in)coherence through this analysis will give way to a useful framework concerning education, public communication and outreach, metaphor design, and technical communication practices in scientific organizations.

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Keywords

Technical communication, Rhetoric, Metaphor theory, Mixed methods, Public communication of science, Science education, Metaphor analysis, Close reading

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