Metaphors can help to express implicit beliefs about concepts such as teaching and learning. Metaphors have been, therefore, increasingly used in educational science. Little is known, however, about how metaphors relate to individual differences in learning. Therefore, in two studies (N = 129 high school students and N = 59 university students) we examined whether metaphors can be linked to students' approaches to learning. We found two types of metaphors: learning-oriented metaphors focusing on learning processes and outcomes, and self-referential metaphors solely focusing on motivational aspects of learning. Learning-oriented metaphors were associated with a deep approach in learning, and self-referential metaphors with a surface approach. There was no difference in cognitive ability between both groups, and no differences between students from different kinds of study programs. We conclude that metaphors indicate the general level of reflection about learning, which is a base for the adoption of a deep or a surface approach in learning.

隐喻可以帮助表达对诸如教学等概念的内在信念。因此，隐喻在教育科学中越来越多地被使用。然而，关于隐喻如何与学习中的个体差异相关的了解甚少。因此，在两项研究中（N  = 129名高中生和N = 59名大学生），我们研究了隐喻是否可以与学生的学习方法联系起来。我们发现了两种类型的隐喻：专注于学习过程和结果的面向学习的隐喻，以及仅关注学习的动机方面的自我指称隐喻。面向学习的隐喻与学习的深层方法相关，而自我指称的隐喻与表面方法相关。两组的认知能力无差异，不同学习计划的学生之间无差异。我们得出的结论是，隐喻表明对学习的一般反思，这是在学习中采用深层或表面方法的基础。