Forty-eight new secondary science teachers participated in a study that required a listing, discussion, and application of criteria to rank three chemistry laboratory procedures. The three similar lab procedures involved synthesis of a compound from its elements. The top criteria noted by teachers focused on procedural issues (i.e., timeliness, clarity, simplicity), followed closely by conceptual value, and finally a concern for materials and safety. Critique of the three procedures by the author involved similar criteria but produced different results. The author's ranking of the syntheses was opposite to the ranking made by the majority of the teachers. Reasons for this difference might include new teachers' (i) views of procedures as being prescribed structures not amenable to being changed to meet their needs, (ii) not perceiving the importance that motivation can play in managing students and enabling them to learn, and (iii) not systematizing their decision-making process. (Contains 4 tables and 3 notes.)