First,
misconceptions are not considered as unitary, faulty conceptions that represent a
different physical theory. Rather, we describe a knowledge system consisting of
many different elements organized in complex ways. Second, we make a distinction
between the learner’s initial explanatory framework, prior to systematic instruction,
and misconceptions that are produced after instruction. We believe that most
of these misconceptions can be characterized as synthetic models—i.e., attempts by
learners to synthesize the new information with the initial explanatory framework.
Third, our theoretical position is a constructivist one. Not only it assumes that new
information is built on existing knowledge structures; it also uses constructivism to
explain students’ misconceptions and to provide a comprehensive framework for
making meaningful and detailed predictions about the knowledge acquisition process.
Finally, while our cognitive approach investigates only one facet of conceptual
change, it is complementary and not contradictory to other approaches that
deal with motivational/affective and socio/cultural factors