Conceptual changes for and during working life

•Until recently conceptual change research only regarded learning scientific knowledge in school•This special issue seeks to extend that approach to learning in working life•Both knowledge and practices in working life are subject to continuous, often radical change•Five contributions together cover the whole lifespan Rapid and radical changes in science, technology and society may result in new scientific concepts and new workplace practices, which require fundamental restructuring of prior knowledge. Over the years a noteworthy body of research has documented the processes of conceptual change, the learning mechanisms involved, and the instructional methods and strategies that can promote conceptual changes. This research, however, focused young learners in school settings. Conceptual changes in working life go beyond traditional conceptual change consisting of processes and mechanisms that involve the interaction between expertise development and workplace learning processes.This Special Issue investigates whether and how conceptual change research can be extended from learning in schools to learning in professional life.