The effect of language on the coherence of children’s conceptions of force

ABSTRACT Background The coherence of learners’ pre-instruction conceptions has been debated for some time. Studies on conceptions of force, specifically, have produced very different results in different contexts around the world. In this study, an integrative theoretical framework linking semantic differences across languages to concept learning in childhood is proposed, motivating the hypothesis that language is a population variable that impacts the coherence of young learners’ conceptions of force. Method This study uses the same structured interview developed in a previous study by Ioannides and Vosniadoue but in a new context—the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia—with three groups of elementary school children (7–12 years of age; n = 185): monolingual in Arabic; monolingual in English; and bilingual in Arabic and English. Findings The results support the hypothesis that language impacts the coherence of children’s conceptions of force with Arabic monolinguals exhibiting greater coherence than English monolinguals, and bilingual children exhibiting intermediate coherence. Contribution This paper provides evidence for the effect of semantic differences across languages and the phenomenon of lexical polysemy on the coherence of children’s initial conceptions of force. The relationship between the integrative theoretical framework proposed and other theories of conceptual change and its novel pedagogical implications are discussed.