The influence of teacher talk on primary school students’ learning in science: A person-centered approach to analyzing conceptual change

Students show a multitude of preconceptions, that frequently deviate from scientific concepts. The conceptual change that is required to overcome these misconceptions can be achieved through different pathways. However, the influence of verbal support strategies on this phenomenon remains to be elucidated. The study aims to examine whether students simultaneously show misconceptions and scientific concepts and how verbal support strategies influence students’ conceptual development. Participants were 1162 students from 53 fourth grade classes. Students’ conceptions were examined through questionnaires at two time points (T1, T2). Video coding was utilized to assess the verbal support strategies used by teachers. Latent profile analyses and latent profile transition analyses were conducted and support strategies were incorporated as covariates. Four profiles at T1 were identified: 'high misconceptions', 'high coexistence of conceptions', 'high fragmented conceptions', and 'high scientific concepts'. The impact of verbal support strategies varies depending on the profile to which the students belong at T1. At T2, the transition to the 'high scientific concept' profile was impeded by focus strategies for those in the 'high misconceptions' or 'high fragmented conceptions' profile at T1. This transition was positively influenced by the use of activate and revoicing strategies when the starting point was the 'high coexistence of conceptions' profile. Teachers need to be aware that there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to verbal support. Rather, teachers need to continuously check students’ knowledge level and adapt their strategies. • Students can be assigned to different concept profiles. • Students show misconceptions and scientific concepts about phenomena simultaneously. • Conceptual development is influenced by verbal support strategies. • The effectiveness of support strategies depends on the initial concept profile.