A multidimensional framework for interpreting conceptual change events in the classroom

Abstract

This article examines the research literature on conceptual change, analyzes the different uses of the term “conceptual change,” and discusses six other issues that have emerged from this literature. The second part of this study outlines a multidimensional framework for considering conceptual change events in the classroom and attempts to synthesize various perspectives of contemporary conceptual change research by proposing that changes in students' knowledge structures be viewed from epistemological, ontological, and social/affective perspectives. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci Ed 81:387-404, 1997.