A longitudinal sample of 242 predominantly white teacher candidates was studied to identify possible relationships between the candidates' academic abilities, the degree of their success in making the transition from student to teacher, and their development of concerns about teaching during teacher preparation as hypothesized by Fuller's model of teacher development. Analysis of data collected prior to teacher preparation, near the end of teacher preparation, and 7 years after the commencement of teacher preparation revealed: that pre- to post-preparation changes occurred in the candidates' task, self, and impact concerns; that the level of the candidates' concerns about teaching did not differ when classified by degree of success in making the transition form student to teacher; and that the teachers' academic ability indices interacted statistically with the teacher candidates' development of job, task, self, and/or impact concerns during teacher preparation. The finding of changes in concerns during teacher preparation supported Fuller's model of the development of concerns about teaching; however, the teacher candidates' academic attributes also were found to relate to and interact with the development of concerns about teaching during teacher preparation. These academic ability interactions with the changes in pre- to post-teacher preparation concerns and the failure to identify a direct relationship between concerns development and degree of success in teacher induction would seem to raise questions about the overall viability of the Fuller model. (Contains 33 references). (Author/SM)