Abstract
This chapter provides a comparative analysis of the different studies presented in this book in order to identify the distinctive features of the research program focused on precursor models. Two key elements are brought to light. First, the studies on precursor models share a developmental perspective in the sense of cognitive psychology by defining precursor models as intermediate cognitive structures between students’ initial representations and scientific models. The links and differences with the didactic transposition and learning progression approaches are discussed. Second, most of these studies conceptualize precursor models from an epistemological perspective and assign them the status and functions of scientific models. In particular, the predictive function plays a crucial role in some studies to foster the learning of precursor models. The inclusion of argumentation in this strategy is proposed as one of the avenues for the development of the research program focused on precursor models.