The battle between misconceptions and scientific conceptions: Using Conceptual Change in the university classroom to improve the teaching of counterintuitive concepts in science

Conceptual change, a learning theory developed in the 1980s, seeks to understand why students’ misconceptions—intuitive ideas that conflict with scientific knowledge—are so resistant to change, and how they can be addressed. Over the decades, the field has developed to include diverse models and tools aimed at exploring the struggle between misconceptions and scientific conceptions, ultimately supporting students in managing their conceptual learning. This talk will provide an overview of the key findings in the field, from its origins to recent advancements in neuroeducation. It will then focus on three main points: (i) presenting research-based resources designed to enhance the conceptual teaching of science in higher education, offering concrete strategies for implementing conceptual change in the classroom; (ii) introducing pluralism, a modern framework of conceptual change that hypothesizes the coexistence of correct and incorrect conceptions in the minds of both students and teachers (and its consequences for teaching); and (iii) discussing research methodologies in the field, illustrated through examples from chemistry education, including an ongoing project at Concordia.