Research by developmental psychologists has investigated metaphor comprehension without its surrounding context. This research has the positive feature of being unidirectional, all indicating that the older the child, the greater the possibility that metaphor will be understood. The disadvantages of the studies for educators include the fact that these studies provide no context for metaphor; children would seldom if ever encounter a metaphor completely in isolation. Also, children are seldom asked in school-related tasks to specify the meaning of a sentence, especially not one isolated from context. Research results suggest that when metaphors are presented in isolation, and when children are required to explain their meaning, the metaphors themselves and the explanation task are difficult for children. However, when children are presented metaphors in their natural context, metaphors do not seem to impede comprehension, and in one study, metaphors facilitated comprehension. (DF)