Although most students view science through a positive lens they often have difficulty connecting the science that they study in school with the practice of science in general, and their personal experience with science in their everyday lives. In an attempt to mediate "school science" with a more authentic view of science a contextual model is…

Secondary vocational-technical education programs in Mississippi are faced with many challenges resulting from sweeping educational reforms at the national and state levels. Schools and teachers are increasingly being held accountable for providing true learning activities to every student in the classroom. This accountability is measured through…

Project ACCEPT (Achieving Creative & Collaborative Educational Preservice Teams)represents an initiative at Northern Illinois University, where special and general education preservice teachers are joined in a voluntary project featuring an enhanced curriculum and field experiences in inclusive classrooms. Participants receive intensive…

This is the fourth in a series of four books presenting a variety of field experience program models and philosophies that drive the programs provided to preservice teachers during their undergraduate teacher preparation. This book focuses on critical issues facing teaching education in the future, in particular field experiences. Major themes…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the degree of self-efficacy preservice teachers developed as a result of participating in field experiences, types of field experiences that were the most beneficial for the professional development of the preservice teachers, and the degree to which pre-stated outcomes were addressed by the field…

This volume presents findings and recommendations for increasing minority teacher recruitment and retention through policy change at seven colleges of teacher education in Florida. The seven institutions of higher education have formed a consortium known as the Florida TEAM (Teacher Education for America's Minorities) project. Its goal is to work…

A descriptive study was undertaken to determine students' reactions to and perceptions of required field-based experiences as a component of teacher training. Using a researcher-designed instrument, data were obtained from 140 undergraduate students at the conclusion of their directed teaching semester. The instrument measured five components of…

Those in the field of wilderness-adventure therapy (WAT) have come a long way in their attitude toward research, but their methodology has lagged behind their enthusiasm. This paper examines the literature in the field of wilderness adventure therapy for delinquent and pre-delinquent youth in order to evaluate the current state of research. The…

This paper is a personal interpretation of how two half-year daily teaching assignments in grade 12 physics influenced the career of a science teacher educator at Queen's University (Kingston, Ontario, Canada). The teacher educator felt that this experience helped him speak to his preservice teachers more realistically and convincingly about the…

The research reported here examined constructs of field dependent or real-world versus field independent or text-driven modes of instruction. It was argued that the level of pedagogical clinical knowledge and reflective thinking among prospective Afro-American teachers differed not only in mode of instruction but in level of instructional emphasis…

The 1983-85 outdoor education handbook for teachers and principals in the Montgomery County Public Schools' (Maryland) outdoor education program gives the Superintendent of Schools' message to participants, lists seven objectives, describes potential areas of study (some possible at all centers, some unique to particular centers), describes…

One strategy for better preparing students for teaching in contemporary schools is to offer them programs which provide extended field experience. If well-planned and directed, these programs can generate many benefits by integrating the theory and practice of teaching. The University of Victoria (British Columbia, Canada), through various…

Third in a series, this volume contains summaries of 115 outdoor education dissertations, most written since 1978. Compilers examined studies in environmental, conservation, and outdoor education and included in the volume those containing reference to the field trip or outdoor experience. The criterion definition they applied was the "use of…

An ethnographic study of 12 student teachers in an elementary school field-based program determined, through observation and interviews, how they reacted to the socializing process that is an integral factor in practicum experiences. Institutional and social forces that shaped these preservice teachers' behaviors and ideas were the elementary…

These guidelines describe the role and duties of all participants in field experience programs for prospective teachers at Samford University (Birmingham, Alabama). Requirements for entry, retention, and exit from the program are described, and policies regarding the placement of students in local schools are listed. Outlines are presented of what…