A 1991 survey of Kansas earth science teachers provides findings concerning earth science students, earth science teachers, and some current practices in earth science instruction. Generally students take earth science in seventh, eighth, or ninth grade. About two-thirds of the students taking earth science do so at the ninth grade level. The course is the designated or required course at that grade level, or is elected at the high school level to meet a graduation requirement in the sciences. It is presumed that the majority taking earth science at the high school level are not science-oriented students. The typical teacher of earth science has 12 or more years of teaching experience, and possesses the bachelors degree only. Nearly three-fourths have two or more different class preparations. Preferences for professional development include subject matter courses rather than education courses, and summer-based course offerings rather than other alternatives. More than half of the respondents have had a course or workshop opportunity in the past year which they believe enhanced their competence or confidence with their teaching. The most frequent mode of instruction involves reading one or more texts with the occasional use of laboratory exercises as verification activities. About seventy percent of teacher respondents reported access to computers; report writing and data management are the most frequent uses of computers. Evidence exists that earth science teachers include "environment" topics in the earth science curriculum. Teachers reported higher confidence teaching conceptual topics rather than those which involved the recognition of salient characteristics for the identification of specific rocks and minerals. (Author)