Teacher education programs are under great pressure to produce highly capable teachers. Teacher self-efficacy has been shown to correlate with teacher motivation and perseverance, yet little is known about how specific teacher education experiences predict teacher self-efficacy. Four sources contributing to teacher self-efficacy beliefs during…

Research indicates that partner placements--pairing two preservice teachers with a mentor teacher--provide a supportive and collaborative context for learning to teach. This qualitative study examines three partner placements in a 100-hour urban field practicum to understand how preservice teachers experience and perceive partner placements, and…

Creating the most effective and well-educated teachers possible has been always the clear focus of the Teacher Education Department at the University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK). During the academic year of 1999-2000, a tripartite task force was created for the College of Education at UNK to identify areas in need of revision or elimination from…

This study describes the influence of a secondary science methods program on secondary science preservice teachers' views and enactment of nature of science and inquiry-based instructional practices. Built into the structure of this program were three cycles of practice teaching and reflection in which the preservice teachers focused on key…

Challenges faced by student teachers working with deaf and hard of hearing students are discussed, with suggestions for supervisors and mentors interested in making student teaching less stressful and more productive. Recommendations focus on reflective practice, pursuit of teachable moments, role clarification, and careful attention to the…

A recurring theme in the social literature is the perceived gap between what faculty in higher education view as the goals of and preferred methods for teaching social studies and those valued and applied by practicing social studies teachers. In 1990, Ohio State University began planning an intensive school-university collaboration in the form of…

This yearbook provides educators with current research and practical guidelines for improving the education of teacher candidates and beginning teachers. The book has four sections, each on a particular topic and containing an overview and a response (reflections and implications). The first section focuses on contexts for effective field…