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…

Researchers have identified six experiences that promote reflective teaching: (1) teaching experiences; (2) journal writing; (3) peer observations; (4) receiving notes/feedback from peer observations; (5) self-assessment; and (6) consultation/conversation with the university supervisor. In this study, these experiences were included as essential…

This paper describes the development of a course that would improve instruction for preservice teachers and for elementary school students through "real world" integration of reading and the related processes of listening, speaking, and writing. "Integrated Language Arts Instruction in the Elementary School" is presented as a model for field-based…

This study was conducted to examine how the organization of preservice teachers' (N=23) knowledge about teaching changed during the last year of their undergraduate program which included a teaching methods course and student teaching. In order to explore cognitive organization three tools were combined: multidimensional scaling, concept mapping,…

The study discussed in this paper examined the pedagogical content knowledge of prospective secondary mathematics teachers with respect to the content area of functions and graphs. The pedagogical content knowledge was examined through an analysis of the transformation of knowledge and beliefs about the content and the learner into instructional…

An experiment explored the effect of group size on student learning when small groups of students worked together at a computer assisted instruction (CAI) terminal. Both learning effectiveness and efficiency were considered. Sixty college students were divided into three groups--19 students studying alone, 16 studying in pairs, and 15 studying in…

This study examined influences that preservice literacy teacher education courses and sustained relationships with literacy researchers had on the literacy practices of three preservice teachers during student teaching and their subsequent self-efficacy and performance as literacy teachers during their first teaching years. Data collected during…

This longitudinal investigation assessed the development and changes in preservice science teachers' conceptions of subject matter and pedagogy as they proceeded through their secondary science methods course, practicum, microteaching, and student teaching. Twelve preservice science teachers were asked, on four occasions each several weeks apart,…

This paper presents a case study describing the collaboration between a state university, a local school district, and Dialog Information Services, Inc. that was designed to include the use of online searching in a social studies methodology course and to encourage school curriculum reform in the area of technology by integrating online searching…

A study examined the nature, status, and trends in the delivery of technical content and instructional methods courses to prepare industrial arts teachers. The members of the Mississippi Valley Industrial Teacher Education Conference were used as a representative group for the preliminary survey. Data collected from the individuals indicated that…

A central tenet of mathematics education reform is the integral role of technology at all grade levels. Current technological changes combined with changes in mathematics content and instructional method require elementary mathematics teachers to be able to design technology intensive lessons for exploration and discovery of these concepts through…

On the basis of a belief in the legitimacy of alternative learning styles, the importance of intercultural broadening, and the global nature of international education, the Department of Secondary Education and Foundations at Eastern Illinois University developed a new course, called "Diversity of Schools and Societies." Course…

This paper is composed of three sections: "A Brief History"; "A Litany of Transgressions"; and "A Quest for Egalitarianism: Strategies and Techniques for Fairness in Inclusive Classrooms." In the first section, projects and resources are mentioned as data that chronicle the legacy of gender inequity. The second section provides a list of…

The development and pilot testing of a set of performance assessments to determine classroom teachers' measurement competencies in areas covered by "Standards for Teacher Competence in Educational Assessment of Students" (1990) are described. How the use of performance assessments in a graduate-level classroom-assessment course can…

Constructs underlying student ratings of instruction in an introductory master's level educational research course were investigated in order to gain a better understanding of instructor behaviors that facilitate student success. During academic years 1990-91 and 1991-92, an institutionally developed scale was administered to students enrolled in…