Conceptual Change Model
Updated 2026-08-13
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
The conceptual change model, developed by Posner and colleagues, specifies four conditions for replacing a deeply held misconception: the learner must be dissatisfied with the existing conception, and the new conception must be intelligible, plausible, and fruitful. The core proposition is that telling a learner the correct answer cannot displace a working prior conception, because the prior conception is not experienced as a problem until it fails. The key qualification is that all four conditions are necessary, and intuitive conceptions resist change even when all four are met.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Prior probe: surface the learner's existing conception before presenting the new one. - Dissatisfaction design: create a case where the prior conception makes a prediction that fails. - Three-part test: check that the new conception is intelligible, plausible, and useful before expecting adoption.
Anchor fast decisions
Prior conceptions are functional: they explain the learner's experience well enough to be trusted. Presenting a replacement without discrediting the original leaves the learner holding both, and the intuitive one usually wins under pressure. Creating dissatisfaction makes the old conception costly to keep, and the new conception is then adopted only if it can be understood, believed, and used.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conceptual_changeverified
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