This paper explores the use of ethnographic biography as a source of information and reflection for student teachers. Ethnographic methods combine observation of a subject's teaching environment or context, examining the present rather than the past. Information can then be made available to student teachers in need of a personal viewpoint on…

Sixteen data tables illustrate characteristics of public school teachers, administrators, and other professional personnel in New York State in 1992-93. Data in this report were derived from New York State's Basic Educational Data System and New York State's Teacher Certification files. Data are based on information submitted by all public…

Current reform efforts in the teaching of high school biology demonstrate the need for a synthetic treatment of prominent concepts. There exists insufficient research that delineates the global content understandings--in this paper designated subject matter structures (SMS)--of biology teachers; or that assesses whether these SMS do, in fact,…

This study examined ways in which teachers use their own experiences and those of their colleagues to become better teachers, based on case studies of a group of eight physics teachers engaged in collaborative action research. Two perspectives on teaching that have framed other inquiries are first discussed: the teacher knowledge perspective,…

This report recounts the establishment of the Utah Career Ladder Program, reviews findings from prior evaluations of the program, and describes in detail the 1993 evaluation authorized by the Utah State Legislature. The report also covers questions about the impact of the program in general. Chapter 1 provides a history of the Utah Career Ladder…

This paper reports the findings of a year-long study of 11 preservice teachers' perceptions of the first year of a teacher preparation program. These students were interviewed individually at least four times, and reported that learning concrete teaching methods was one of the most valuable aspects of their preparation because these methods could…

Does personality impact differently on occupational choice and occupational performance? In a study of established teachers, interests, the Five-Factor Model, and attributions were examined in relation to occupational choice and performance. Attributions were assessed using a new instrument designed for teachers. Choice of teaching specialty was…

Relationships between classroom teacher preemployment interview scores and performance during the first 6 months of employment were investigated in an Ohio school district. Permanently employed teachers were the target of the study, which used data from 4 aspects of interview scores and 13 performance criteria to study relationships between 2…

Project MAFEX (Meta-Analysis of Field Experience) used standard meta-analysis techniques to synthesize the available body of research concerning preservice field experience programs. Several important questions were considered: (1) What types of field experience programs are most and least effective? (2) Are there common characteristics of field…

This guide provides information needed by teachers supervising students' teaching internships in agricultural education, business education, home economics education, industrial education, or health occupations education as part of the Vocational Education Studies Program at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. In a reproduction of the…

An examination of the ways in which teachers gain and use knowledge about their work is presented through a case study using retrospective interviews with a high school English teacher in Canada. The teacher's "practical knowledge" was explored in a series of open-ended discussions, dealing with the teacher's involvement in the development of an…

Based on results from a sample of the entire Montana public high school system and 5 Montana teacher training institutions, followed by a telephone survey of 15 superintendents/curriculum directors and directors of placement from the 5 institutions used in the original study, there were indeed definite hiring preferences shown toward applicant…

Research was conducted to determine the relationship between selected teacher characteristics of current food service teachers and their effectiveness as teachers. The seven teacher characteristics were age, sex, industrial experience, teacher experience, level of education, teacher perception of concern for students, and occupational…

The effects of a graduate multicultural education course on 27 elementary and secondary teachers were studied. The subjects represented Chicano and Anglo ethnic groups. Teaching experience ranged from student teaching to eight years' experience. To help the subjects identify their own attitudes, questionnaires on ethnic and sex role identification…

A course called "The Study of Teaching," designed to develop a theory on teaching and to explore the philosophy of teaching, is described. Five teacher education professors and five graduate students participated. Although one professor acted as instructor, the fifteen hour course was relatively unstructured and based on collegial discussion…