Purpose: The present study aims to examine the effect of using cognitive metaphors in the teaching process and its role in enhancing students’ comprehension of educational concepts. This was carried out through a systematic review method and a narrative approach based on Silva’s framework. Method: This study employed a systematic and narrative review method. Data were collected through a targeted search in databases including Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and Noor Magazines, using keywords related to cognitive metaphors in education. The population consisted of articles published between 2015 and 2023. After a multi-stage screening process involving the removal of irrelevant and duplicate articles, 22 selected articles aligned with the study objectives were chosen. Qualitative content analysis based on a thematic approach was conducted to extract main themes, and the articles were categorized into six thematic axes: the role of cognitive metaphors in learning, the impact of cultural context, purposeful design of metaphors, connection with digital literacy, application in computational concepts, and strengthening creative thinking. Findings: The results of the analysis showed that the purposeful, creative, and content-appropriate use of cognitive metaphors can have a significant impact on facilitating the understanding of complex concepts, increasing learning motivation, and deepening students’ cognitive engagement. Conclusion: Accordingly, metaphor-based instructional design and empowering teachers to utilize it can be considered an effective step toward improving the quality of teaching and learning.