Few, if any, studies have examined the impact of nature of science (NOS) instruction on science teachers' practices 2 or more years after completing a science teacher education program. Extant studies on preservice and first-year teachers' NOS teaching practices have had disappointing results, with few teachers valuing NOS as a cognitive objective…

Describes selected findings and discusses effects of an inservice program which focused on the skills and competencies of teacher participants. Factors studied include the effect of the respective ages of the participants on competency, the time of year when the program was taken, and prior knowledge of program implementation. (GS)

Describes cost effective teacher institute programs developed at the University of Houston-Clear Lake, focusing on components of the Shared Local Resources Model (primary source speakers, curriculum implementation, field trips, and curriculum development teams). Evaluation of institutes indicates that they have been successful. (JN)

Uses the experience of the Time, Space and Matter developers to argue that much attention to training of teachers is necessary if a new program is to be implemented. Describes the use of a series of resource teachers to guide inservice training of new users. (AL)

Describes a program which trained and assisted teachers to initiate inquiry lessons in their own classrooms, and then assist other teachers in their schools implement similar lessons. Reports evaluation of the program, and states implications for teacher education. (AL)

Described is a model for preservice training of science teachers designed to help these individuals overcome some of the problems of "reality shock" encountered during the first year of teaching. The study provides an objective measure of the perceptual and behavioral changes that a first year science teacher undergoes and presents a discussion of…

Describes evaluative data obtained during the Colorado Elementary Science Project which used elementary teachers to provide inservice training for other teachers after intensive experience with one of the national elementary science projects. Makes recommendations for implementation and change of this diffusion model. (AL)