Few significant differences in the beliefs of first-year education students (n=48), first-year arts students (n=36), and first-year science students (n=37) toward education, teaching, and students were found on an attitude scale constructed by interviewing 10 freshman education students. Education students tended to enter their program with…

Study of 488 students in teacher preparation programs at 8 Canadian universities indicated: (1) unrealistic beliefs about youth are fairly widespread among prospective Canadian teachers; (2) some such beliefs are related to mass media stereotypes of youth; (3) respondents place confidence in mass media as sources of reliable information.…

Third-year students in the University of Alberta's B.Ed. elementary generalist program think that the program's practicum is valuable but that the program's organization hampers learning and causes stress. Students feel ambivalent about their own preparedness for student teaching and perceive a discrepancy between the program's professed and…

Students' opinions about their college environments are related to objectively determined features of their academic community; also to the actual measured changes which take place in these students on three year courses, shown by examination results, attitude and personality changes, values of a personal, social and religious kind. (Author)

On a Likert scale, 269 prospective elementary school teachers instructed in a seminar workshop approach showed a greater improvement in attitude towards mathematics than students in a lecture setting. On the Dutton attitude scale, there were no differences between instructional techniques nor between pre- and posttest means. (Author/CM)

Survey of 279 students entering the Faculty of Education at the University of Western Ontario revealed a structure of beliefs about learning and knowledge having 10 factors that were nearly orthogonal with each other. Most students endorsed a view of learning that included both constructivist and transmission-oriented themes. Contains 58…

Describes the use of portfolio assessment in preservice teacher education, specifically elementary science methods courses. Presents both theoretical and practical considerations relative to ensuring the highest possible levels of validity. Includes a set of practical validation focus questions and comments from student portfolios. Contains 33…

Compares effect of practicum length on professional predispositions (motivation toward teaching, attitudes toward teaching career, student teachers' self-concept) of 60 Canadian student teachers. Students completing 20-week practicum had significantly lower values than those completing 3-week practicum. Only after lengthy practicum does reality of…

A survey of 221 students graduating from the teacher education program at the University of Manitoba (Canada) reveals student attitudes regarding equity, diversity, and multiculturalism in Canada and the roles and responsibilities of public schools in a multicultural society. Conflicting student responses suggest the need for a more detailed…

To indicate areas for training program improvement, 476 prospective teachers responded to questions developed around educator-identified societal and educational trends to obtain self-analysis of preparation to meet future demands of the teaching role. Less than half felt adequately prepared; most placed heavy emphasis on the practicum component…