This paper considers whether a sociocultural theory of cognition can supply a suitable perspective for analyzing the nature of interdisciplinary collaboration within groups in the National Institute for Science Education (NISE). We discuss the metaphors of apprenticeship and voice in conversation to identify relevant elements of analysis in group discourse. The NISE group shows evidence of cognitive apprenticeship and of multiple voicedness, but the theories do not fully explain the impact of interdisciplinary interaction on group cognitive development. Although both the apprenticeship metaphor and the voice metaphor provide useful tools for analysis, it would be useful to have a metaphor that deals more directly with interaction among members of equal status from mature communities of practice.

This study analyzed how a working group used an analogy of "education as a pathway" as a tool for conceptual understanding and teamwork. The team's definition of the analogical structure remained consistent over the course of team work, but they applied the analogy to different targets. Ambiguities in the analogy contributed to its limited application as a tool in detailed analysis. Implications are noted with respect to how analogies are evaluated in team work, how the nature of a metaphor influences its applicability in analytical work, and how group process may affect analogy use in team work.