Assessed attitudes of pre- and in-service regular and special educators (N=48) toward teaching special-needs pupils via changes in pulse and skin temperature and with self-report. The self-report data were contradicted by the physiological evidence, which indicated that preservice perceived teaching the handicapped child to be more stressful.…

This annotated bibliography, selected from the ERIC databases, concerns characteristics of preservice teachers. Studies summarized compare academic achievement of education majors with that of students in other fields and investigate personality traits, attitudes, and other attributes of future teachers. Other studies focus on admissions critera…

This study compared the mathematical competencies and attitudes of elementary education majors (n=171) to a representative college population. Results indicated that elementary education majors possessed more negative attitudes toward mathematics and scored lower in 9 of 10 competency categories than the general college population. Significant…

Research has indicated that numerous factors influence teaching performance, including nonacademic traits such as personality attributes, self-concept, commitment to teaching, and gender. This study compared the personality characteristics of elementary and secondary preservice teachers. Subjects were junior- and senior-level students (N=186) in…

Possible relationships among selected psychological, sociological, and economic characteristics of doctoral students were studied, and these characteristics were compared for students who completed or withdrew from Doctor of Education degree (Ed.D.) programs at West Virginia University. Questionnaires were mailed to 254 Ed.D. recipients and 287…

Scores on standardized tests and high school grade point average are not always good predictors of the academic ability or potential success of students choosing to become teachers. An issue often overlooked when sampling the academic qualifications is the identification of students who are not education majors but who plan on becoming teachers.…

The responses of 38 preservice teachers enrolled in an education course entitled "Teaching in a Pluralist Society" were obtained through interviews, essays, and survey instruments. The students' responses were analyzed in relation to their knowledge of multicultual education, inter-ethnic experiences and behaviors, and attitudes and feelings about…

As a result of the recent increase in foreign student enrollment and concomitant decrease in American student enrollment at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), a study was undertaken to learn the nature of the change and how it should affect the nature of admissions policies, student services, and programs of study in the Graduate…

The results of a questionnaire administered to 125 preservice teacher education students (68 secondary education majors and 57 elementary education majors) are discussed. The questionnaire surveyed demographic information and student experience in multicultural coursework, settings, and personal experience. (JL)

A study investigated: (1) academic qualifications of female education majors; (2) how they compare with females in other academic programs; (3) career-choice shifts during college; and (4) whether females unsuccessful in other programs choose education as a last resort. Scholastic Aptitude Test scores, grade-point averages, and other measures of…

The cognitive styles of Education majors at a southern university were examined over a five-year period. The Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) was administered to 537 students in an introductory education course. This test identifies field-dependent (FD) and field-independent (FI) learning styles. Two hundred twelve students were retested at the…

The primary purpose of this study was to determine if transfer students reduced the quality of 547 prospective teachers who were beginning their teacher training at Bowling Green State University (Ohio) during either the spring semester of the 1984-85 or during the fall semester of the 1985-86 academic years. Aptitude, basic academic skills, and…

This paper demonstrates how issues of lifelong development are cogent at the undergraduate level by discussing the results of a study which explored individual differences among the preservice population. Fuller's developmental model of teachers' concerns combined with theories of life-span development provided the conceptual and operational bases…

An overview and analysis is presented of the Vance and Schlechty Study (1982) of education majors which indicated that there is a negative selection process which systematically attracts and holds in the teaching profession young people with modest verbal and mathematical abilities. Three factors, operating singly or in combination, were…

Michigan State University education majors were asked about their backgrounds, career aspirations, and perceptions of the teacher's role. Their responses are discussed, and their tendency to discount pedagogy and to value enhancing student esteem over student achievement are viewed with concern. (PP)