Undergraduate Primary Education Students’ Alternative Ideas about Virtual Water

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Published: Apr 17, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/codiste.9820
Keywords:
Virtual water water footprint content analysis three-tier diagnostic test university students’ alternative ideas
Stergios Gkitsas
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Georgios Malandrakis
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Nikolaos Theodosiou
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Nikolaos Lambrinos
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Abstract

Identification of students' alternative conceptions is essential for teaching and for the development of effective educational materials, particularly for concepts like Water Footprint and Virtual Water, which are newly introduced in education and gain increasing significance. This study explored the alternative conceptions of greek undergraduate students from Departments of Primary Education regarding Virtual Water. Data were collected through a set of nine, open-formed questions, in an online questionnaire completed by 64 participants. A content analysis of the responses, using the unit of meaning as the unit of analysis, revealed numerous alternative conceptions and misconceptions related to the conceptual definition of Virtual Water.

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