In this study we investigated the role of conceptually rich
explanations and anomalous evidence in children’s scientific
belief revision. We also explored whether the order in which
children experience these two learning opportunities
influences their belief revision ability. Five-year-old children
were assigned to one of two conditions, where they either first
received conceptual explanations about buoyancy and then
observed anomalous data in a guided activity (Explanation-
First), or the reverse (Anomalies-First). Results showed that
(1) conceptually rich explanations lead to more accurate
predictions about which objects sink and which float than
anomalous data presentation, and (2) when explanations and
anomalous data were combined, children’s correct predictions
increased significantly from pre-test to post-test when they
received the conceptual information before the anomalous
evidence (Explanation-First), but not in the opposite order
condition (Anomalies-First). These results suggest that
children are more likely to maintain their misconceptions
when exposed to anomalies without prior instruction
involving conceptually rich explanations.