The primary purpose of this study was to ascertain the extent that 24 working conditions impacted upon the reality shock of four groups (N=211) of beginning teachers (elementary, secondary, specialized, and special education) who were teaching in three types of schools (rural, urban, and suburban). For only two working conditions were the…

A sample of 97 directors of public school standardized testing programs received mail surveys for the purpose of identifying the nature and extent of their training in educational measurement and evaluation, the number and types of State certifications held, the nature of their primary job assignment, and their job responsibilities associated with…

This study was designed to assess, over a seven-year period from the commencement of teacher preparation through five years of teaching, the development of teachers' self, impact, and task concerns as formulated by Fuller for a longitudinal sample of teachers (N=60) and to determine what, if any, personal and academic attributes of teachers might…

The perceptions of various educators (N=495) of the effectiveness of practices related to the dissemination of the results from their schools' standardized testing programs were collected and analyzed. Contrary to what might have been expected from prior research, these educators rated the effectiveness of their schools' performance in…

A longitudinal sample of 241 teacher candidates was studied to identify possible relationships between the extent of their success in making the transition from student to teacher and development of their confidence, anxiety, and attitudes about teaching during teacher preparation. Statistical analysis of data collected prior to and near the end…

First-year teachers' perceptions of the helpfulness of their teacher mentoring experiences during their induction into the profession were investigated in this study. It was found that most novice teachers perceived their mentoring experiences to be helpful; however, they rated other professionals in their school districts as being more helpful in…

This study investigated possible relationships between selected teacher candidate characteristics and changes in concerns about teaching reported prior to and following teacher preparation for those candidates successfully entering or failing to enter the teaching profession. A longitudinal sample of 242 teacher candidates reported concerns about…

This study encompassed the collection of teacher reported (N=326) testing practices and the direct assessment of teacher-made tests (N=175) for item cognitive functioning levels and construction errors. Focus was on assessing the nature and quality of teacher-made tests used in public school classrooms and describing the classroom teachers'…

This study was designed to investigate relationships between selected teacher characteristics and changes in attitudes and concerns toward teaching during preservice training and the first five years of inservice teaching. Six groups of subjects (N=1,193) were used in the study; three groups of prospective teachers at various stages of preservice…

This study investigated whether or not selected academic ability indices and personal characteristics of 65 teachers (all were Bowling Green State University teacher candidates who began their teacher training in 1985 and who by June 30, 1989 had completed their first year of full-time classroom teaching) were associated with longitudinal changes…

The influences of students' (N=152) academic, affective, and personal attributes on their success in student teaching (as measured by university supervisors' ratings) were examined in this study. It was found that the following student attributes were related to their student teaching performance: (1) their total university and their education…

Selected findings are presented from a study of classroom teachers' testing needs, testing proficiencies, testing practices, and testing resources in the public schools in Ohio. Focus was on determining how principals and supervisors can assist: (1) teachers in identifying and alleviating the most common test construction errors found on…

In order to assess the effects of reform efforts to recruit more academically able teacher candidates over the previous decade, this study was designed to determine the relationships between selected personal attributes and the differences in the affective characteristics of a 1980's sample and a 1990's sample of teacher candidates. The subjects…

This study was designed to ascertain whether differences existed between the academic, affective, and personal characteristics of teacher education persisters and nonpersisters. The subjects were comprised of a longitudinal sample of approximately 550 teacher candidates entering teacher training at one institution (Bowling Green State University,…

A total of 694 1976-1980 graduates of Bowling Green State University (Ohio) teaching in rural, urban, and suburban settings, representing elementary, secondary, specialized and special education fields, and having from one to five years of teaching experience comprised the sample for this study. Responses of these teachers to a 19-item…