In this article, we report on a study of beliefs about mathematics, teaching, and proof conducted with six prospective secondary mathematics teachers as they completed a two-semester sequence of a content course and a methods course. The initial beliefs of the participants were identified using interview and survey data, and potential shifts in…

This article reports empirical evidence about the influence of embedding language-based strategies into a history methods course to prepare novice history teachers to teach English learners (ELs). Mixed methods were used in an action research cycle to analyze participants' attitudes and preparedness to teach ELs history before and after being…

Fifty-two exceptional education pre-service teachers getting a K-6 endorsement were involved in this study that investigated the changes in levels of mathematics anxiety before and after a mathematics methods course for education majors. The changes were measured with respect to the use of manipulatives and other activities to make mathematics…

This study identified the problem solving strategies used by students within a university course designed to teach pre-service teachers educational technology, and whether those strategies were influenced by the format of the course (i.e., face-to-face computer lab vs. online). It also examined to what extent the type of problem solving strategies…

This study examines the effectiveness of an educational methods course for changing early childhood preservice teachers' instructional beliefs. The teaching methods course emphasized constructivist teaching principles. Seventy-eight of the early childhood education preservice teachers who were enrolled in this course filled out the Teacher Belief…

This mixed methods study examined preservice teachers' awareness of domestic violence through an undergraduate reading course which focused on children's literature. Pre and post surveys were administered to preservice teachers to determine whether their knowledge and skills in recognizing signs of domestic violence in behaviors of the elementary…

Research regarding rubrics in K-12 classrooms and in higher education has focused on teachers' perceptions and use of them. Rubrics have been found to objectify subjective assignments, ensure accountability, and improve student understanding of teacher expectations (Andrade, 2000; Hall & Salmon, 2003; Walvoord & Anderson, 1998). This study focuses…

Uncovering issues of school safety, both perceived and real, requires research that probes students' perspectives. This paper tells the story of a comparative research project initiated in an English education methods course. The study was conducted in two high schools and utilized mapping and surveying to determine students' perceptions of school…

This study was conducted to secure information about various academic and organizational aspects of pre-service science methods courses for elementary school teachers. About 65 percent of all respondents to the questionnaire indicated a semester plan in existence as against 27 percent for a quarter system for preparing elementary teachers. Most…

Advocates that two methods courses should be developed for each subject area in elementary education so that prospective teachers can specialize in either the primary (K-3) or intermediate grades (4-6). In particular, suggested differences in science methods courses at these two levels are discussed. (JR)

The purpose of this study was to investigate certification requirements for elementary teachers in educational institutions to determine their preparation in science. The amount and types of science content, the science processes and skills, science teaching techniques, and general preparation as an elementary teacher who will need to teach…

Presents tabular and narrative findings from a survey of industrial teacher educators to obtain data on the delivery systems they preferred to use in teaching specific teacher competencies and the categories or clusters of teaching competencies. The educators still preferred print-base materials and the lecture-discussion method. (MF)

Discusses national trends and local variations in teacher education and describes a survey to ascertain students' views on the teacher training process and the debate between classroom technicians and educational analysts. (CK)

The study described in this presentation was conducted to survey the status of classroom discipline within the professional teacher education curriculum and to ascertain the perceptions of preservice teachers towards addressing discipline problems. Classroom discipline is examined in the following ways: (1) an analysis of contemporary literature;…

Reports on a survey of elementary, middle, high school, and university science teachers. Results indicate that teacher education programs reflect little commitment to preparing or in-servicing science teachers to work effectively with students who have disabilities. Contains 31 references. (DDR)