THE STATUS OF TEACHERS' VOWEL PHONICS COMPETENCIES SINCE THE PERIOD 1957-58, THE REGIONAL DIFFERENCES IN TEACHERS' KNOWLEDGE OF VOWEL PHONICS GENERALIZATIONS, AND TEACHERS' UNDERSTANDING OF THESE GENERALIZATIONS WERE INVESTIGATED. THE ARRON VOWEL PHONICS TEST WAS ADMINISTERED TO 198 GRADUATE STUDENTS AT OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY, CORVALLIS, OREGON, TO 62 UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT LAMAR STATE COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY IN BEAUMONT, TEXAS, AND TO 20 SENIORS AT CULVER-STOCKTON COLLEGE, CANTON, MISSOURI, DURING THE PERIOD 1962-67. THESE STUDENTS WERE TAKING COURSES IN REMEDIAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL READING. RESULTS WERE COMPARED WITH A RETROACTIVE ANALYSIS OF THE RESULTS OF THE SAME TEST ADMINISTERED TO 293 STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA DURING THE PERIOD 1957-58. THE RESULTS REVEALED AN IMPROVEMENT IN TEACHERS' KNOWLEDGE OF VOWEL PHONICS GENERALIZATIONS IN THE 1962 TO 1967 PERIOD. THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF REGIONAL DIFFERENCES IN TEACHERS' KNOWLEDGE OF THESE GENERALIZATIONS, SINCE TEXANS TENDED TO KNOW MORE THAN THE WEST COASTERS, THE OREGONIANS, OR THE GEORGIANS OF THE 1957 TO 1958 GROUP. IN GENERAL, THE TEACHERS TENDED TO COMPREHEND THE LESS USEFUL VOWEL PHONICS GENERALIZATIONS. THIS PAPER WILL BE PUBLISHED IN THE 1967 YEARBOOK OF THE NATIONAL READING CONFERENCE. (NS)