This study investigated the possible impact of a science teaching methods course on pre-service teachers' self-efficacy and perceptions of self as science teachers. The study also investigated the probable relationship between these two variables, which both measure issues related to the expected behaviour teachers adopt when teaching science.…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the degree of self-efficacy preservice teachers developed as a result of participating in field experiences, types of field experiences that were the most beneficial for the professional development of the preservice teachers, and the degree to which pre-stated outcomes were addressed by the field…

Several of the papers in this collection describe university programs or provide practical suggestions for using technology to enhance literacy instruction; other papers focus on a diverse range of issues, instructional strategies, and research findings related to different aspects of literacy. Papers in the collection are: "A Community of…

This book offers information, ideas, and activities that current and future classroom teachers might use to help students become more familiar with concepts and skills needed to be successful in the content area of social studies. The book is designed for elementary and middle school levels. Study questions, case studies, examples of actual…

A content-area reading course for preservice teachers challenges them to engage in the kinds of activities that "real" teachers do or should be doing, demonstrating how teachers can work across disciplines and foster collaborative relationships, while at the same time assisting their students in making connections from one classroom to…

The Educational Research Department at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Blacksburg) attempts to go beyond conventional use of a computer laboratory by offering services to further the educational knowledge of its students. Laboratory staff members demonstrate methods needed to accomplish educational tasks for program…

This study was designed to develop an instrument that would measure preservice teachers' belief efficacy in teaching environmental education (EE). This belief efficacy includes a person's perception of ability to perform the behavior (self-efficacy) and a person's expectation that a specific behavior will result in desirable outcomes (outcome…

This paper outlines the application of Total Quality Management to schools and describes schools that are representative of the national trend toward Schools of Quality or Quality Schools. The traditional preparation program for teachers and administrators is described as being driven by certification requirements of the state departments of…

This study was conducted to determine the extent to which writing to learn and reflective teaching within an interdisciplinary elementary methods course gave undergraduates the opportunity to change their perspective from student to teacher. Participants were 31 preservice elementary education majors enrolled in a one semester interdisciplinary…

This exploratory study of vocational education teachers' preparation to improve students' basic skills was based on previous work conducted by the National Center for Research in Vocational Education. Eleven questions about basic skills were developed and asked in interviews conducted with a total of 46 faculty and 165 students at nine vocational…

The objective of this study was to assess the misconceptions held by preservice teachers about essential concepts of the moon related to information taught in elementary schools in Taiwan and to develop multiple-choice test items to identify the misconceptions about the moon. Additionally, this study considered relationships of gender, religion,…

The teacher is one of the most important variables for maintaining or developing excellence in education. According to many surveys many teachers of high school physics earned their degrees in other fields. This paper deals with preservice and inservice high school physics teacher education. Topics include: (1) what physics teachers are expected…

This book contains 15 chapters: (1) "Teaching Problem Solving"; (2) "Using Calculators and Computers in Elementary School Mathematics"; (3) "Organizing for Instruction"; (4) "Teaching Numeration of Whole Numbers"; (5) "Teaching Numeration of Common and Decimal Fractions"; (6) "Teaching Addition and Subtraction of Whole Numbers"; (7) "Teaching…

Many believe that whether teachers teach students to "do" science, teach about science, or teach about technology instead, science teachers should be as culturally literate about science as possible. Also, it is believed that a philosophy of science course which uses history of science, some normative epistemologies, practical examples, and…

This paper records the experiences of two teacher educators at a small liberal arts college who attempted to deliver instruction in ways that were designed to meet the needs of individual preservice students. The program was individualized for the students in three ways: (1) the pace of instruction was matched with the abilities of individual…