Conceptual Change and Primary Geography

During recent decades, much research has been conducted on misconceptions and conceptual change in science education focusing on the physical environment. Only a part of this research refers to primary school settings. An even smaller amount of this covers pertinent questions about primary school students and their ideas about scientific concepts on geography-related topics. This chapter will summarise conceptual change theories and implications for a didactical perspective. Furthermore, there will be a brief review of the international literature on research concepts on geography-related topics. The chapter will end with insight from an empirical study of primary children’s conceptions about rivers.