Analogical reasoning is central to all learning, whether in daily life situations, in the classroom
or while doing research. Although analogies can aid the learning process of making sense of
phenomena and understanding new ideas in terms of known ideas, these should be used with care. This
article reports a study of the use of analogies and the consequences of this use in the teaching of
magnetism with special reference to misconceptions. We begin by identifying concept confusion and
associated misconceptions in magnetism due to in-service physics teachers’ spontaneous analogical
reasoning. Two analogy-based experiments that can be used to convert such concept confusion to
discernment are then described. These experiments focus on understanding basic principles about
sources and interactions of magnetic fields and implement the constructivist learning processes of
discrimination and generalization. Lastly, recommendations towards reinforcement of conceptual
understanding of bas…