Problems of bridging the gap between theory and practice in the professional preparation of student affairs practitioners are considered. After briefly discussing the character of professional work and the role of theory and research, attention is directed to problems inherent to the nature of applied educational fields and issues related to the…

Teacher education programs inadequately prepare teachers to teach students to participate in the many forms of cooperation which are inherent in life. Although teachers have the responsibility of helping students learn how to live and be productive in social groups, students in colleges of education are not usually trained to oversee and grade…

North Texas State University (NTSU) has instituted a cooperative program which allows junior level education majors to become full-time paid teacher aides in participating school districts. The students work for one semester and are closely supervised by their university supervisor. To enter the program, they must have completed a minimum of…

A sequence of selective/retention steps are described which are used to reduce the number of student teacher "wash outs" in the Wright State University (Ohio) school of education. (1) A 2.25 grade point average (out of 4.0 points) is required for admission to the school, and an entry level grammar/composition test, which identifies at…

Using a pilot version of an instrument designed to probe perceptions of undergraduates in areas related to teaching as a profession and the desirability of teacher education programs, this study begins to develop a base upon which to formulate strategies for understanding and dealing with declining enrollment in teacher education programs. A…

This 1978 survey of 408 New Jersey secondary public schools found that 242 of them use a computer for instructional purposes. Primarily the computer is used in teaching students to write programs and as a computational aid to problem solving, with mathematics departments making the greatest use of these applications. The survey results justify the…

This paper presents brief summaries of four followup studies of the teacher education program at the University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. Studies examined: (1) relationships between success in an education program and success in the teaching profession; (2) reasons for recent graduates' state of employment and choice of major; (3)…

TO DETERMINE WHICH COMMON TEACHING PROBLEMS CAUSE THE GREATEST CONCERN OR INSECURITY AMONG PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS, 445 JUNIORS (243 IN 1962-63 AND 205 IN 1963-64) TAKING A SECONDARY SCHOOL METHODS COURSE WERE ASKED TO RANK TWELVE MAJOR PROBLEMS IN THE ORDER IN WHICH THEY CAUSED CONCERN. THE PROBLEMS WERE COMPILED FROM THOSE OCCURRING FREQUENTLY IN…

Graduate faculties are very receptive to the idea of their own talented undergraduates choosing to matriculate in the same institution's graduate degree programs. Since these students are known quantities, faculty members may prefer to work with them and may be focusing recruiting activities in the local area as long as adequate numbers are…

As part of a study of the basic skills of secondary level education students, a study was conducted at Pennsylvania State University of the writing ability of prospective secondary level teachers. Raters holistically scored writing samples of 43 preservice teachers of English, mathematics, science and social studies. When writing scores of all…

The relationship of self-reported study behaviors, affect toward the course, test anxiety, and past achievement to final examination performance were investigated. Subjects were students in Education who enrolled in an undergraduate measurement course. Six study behavior factors in combination with the affect, anxiety, and past achievement…

An Information Retrieval (IR) system for 5312 social science generalizations and a social simulation game, called "Explanation", are discussed. The game, using specially prepared case studies, is designed to permit players to develop ability in asking questions, generalizing, and stating tentative explanations. The research revealed the…

This experiment investigated two problems: Can attitudes be affected as a result of simulation games in a classroom setting? Can these attitudinal changes, or lack thereof, be statistically assessed. The two purposes of the study were: (1) Exposure and involvement of under-graduate education students to basic options and decisions presented to…

A significant increase in secondary psychology instruction in Ohio over the last decade led to initiation of state certification in psychology. At the same time national interest in precollege psychology was evident in the activities of the American Psychological Association and other groups. In spring, 1973, an Ohio survey of teacher training in…

Reports on a study of the perceptions of selected deans of colleges of education regarding the effects of the national concern for teacher education reform. Presents findings about student characteristics, program content, professional skills taught, professional attitudes inculcated, retention standards, field experiences, program length, and…