[dolni]

You don't only do it with file cabinets and paper. That was the entire point I was making.

You organize day-to-day physical items the same way. "My personal stuff" goes into my bedroom. My underwear go into an underwear drawer. My jeans go into a different one. Anything that I want free of wrinkles is hung in a closet.

Geography and space are hierarchical. Earth is in the solar system. North America is in the northern hemisphere, but Australia isn't. The United States and Canada are in North America. Nevada is in the United States. You get the idea.

Most organizations of people are hierarchical. Militaries, companies, volunteer organizations, the government.

Whether or not you have physically organized papers is irrelvant. It's a concept that is fundamental to existence. Extending it to files on a computer should not be terribly difficult for someone seeking a college education.

[mtVessel]

Good points. Maybe educators need to consider updating their metaphors -- any of these could work. The real problem might be that computer files are intangible, abstract entities, making it harder for students to fully grok the model.

[dolni]

> Good points. Maybe educators need to consider updating their metaphors -- any of these could work.

Why do you assume that educators are at fault for the lack of understanding? It seems you are willing to make any excuse for students failing to grasp a straightforward concept that is present in everyones' lives from childhood onward.

> The real problem might be that computer files are intangible, abstract entities, making it harder for students to fully grok the model.

The real problem might be that they just aren't college material.