The diagnosis of student's misconceptions and the identification of the reasons for these misconceptions are prerequisite for conceptual changes. Water surface tension, cohesion and adhesion are the basic subjects of secondary school curriculums. Grasping these concepts is key to understanding more important life processes with regard to water, particularly water and mineral uptake of plants. Also these terms are closely related to key concepts in physics and chemistry such as energy usage, and cohesion and adhesion of molecules. This study aimed to identify students' misconceptions about surface tension, cohesion and adhesion and their role in water and mineral uptake in plants with a questionnaire featuring open ended questions that demanded short answers. As a result, it has been seen that many teacher candidates hold misconceptions about water surface tension, cohesion and adhesion, and their chemical, physical and biological properties and functions. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.