TO INVESTIGATE STUDENT TEACHERS' SELF PERCEIVED CHANGES IN THEIR MASTERY OF CURRICULUM CONTENT AND TEACHING METHODS, 313 ELEMENTARY EDUCATION MAJORS WERE ADMINISTERED A SELF RATING OF MASTERY SCHEDULE AT SIX POINTS FROM THE START OF THE FIRST COURSE IN EDUCATION TO THE BEGINNING OF THE SECOND YEAR OF TEACHING. THE SCHEDULE LISTED 8 CURRICULUM AREAS--ART, MUSIC, HEALTH, SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS, READING, OTHER LANGUAGE ARTS AND SOCIAL STUDIES AND TWO FOUNDATION AREAS--PSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS, AND HISTORICAL, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL FOUNDATIONS. THE STUDENTS WERE ASKED TO RATE THEMSELVES ON A 7-POINT SCALE WITH 1 REPRESENTING THE KNOWLEDGE OF SKILL AN AVERAGE COLLEGE FRESHMAN MIGHT HAVE, AND 7 THE DEGREE OF SKILL A SUPERIOR TEACHER SHOULD POSSESS. THE FINDINGS WERE--(1) THE STUDENTS CONSISTENTLY RATED THEMSELVES HIGHER ON MASTERY OF CONTENT AND METHODS DURING COLLEGE. (2) GAINS WERE MINIMAL DURING THE FIRST YEAR OF TEACHING. (3) RATINGS OF CONTENT MASTERY MOVED UPWARD MORE RAPIDLY AT FIRST, BUT WERE LATER EQUALLED BY MASTERY OF METHODS RATING. (4) SELF-RATINGS IN ALL LANGUAGE ARTS TENDED TO BE HIGH THROUGH COLLEGE. (5) METHODS IN MUSIC WERE THE MOST DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE. AND (6) CONTENT AND METHODS MASTERY RATINGS TENDED TO GO HAND IN HAND, POSSIBLY BECAUSE OF THE "HALO" EFFECT. (AW)