This study analyzes the reaction essays of 24 elementary preservice teachers who read and discussed the same case. The preservice teachers were in two different sections of the same special topics course. Care was taken to balance the sections as closely as possible by age, ethnicity, and major areas. Graduate discussion leaders were chosen to balance the program area (one from educational leadership and one from school counseling/human resources) and ethnicity. Section A was led by two females, one Caucasian and the other Hispanic; Section B was led by two males, a Caucasian and an African American. The discussion leaders were given an established format to follow, which included smaller group discussions, as well as large group discussion. The response essays of the preservice teachers were analyzed using qualitative methods. Content analysis established emergent categories and patterns. These categories and patterns, as well as the type of language used, were analyzed to determine if any differences existed between the responses from different sections. Despite a variety of responses within each section, distinct pattern differences in the overall responses of the preservice teachers in each section were evident. Essays from section A, as a group, exhibited greater generalization from the case to the preservice teachers' practice and field experiences, a greater focus on teacher behaviors and their effect, and evidence of more changes in attitude, while essays from section B, overall, showed a greater emphasis on possible causes of the case problem, a tendency to not generalize beyond the case to either principles of practice or their own field experiences, and less evidence of a change in attitude. One factor that may have contributed to the differences in the two sections was the gender of the section leaders. (Contains 13 references.) (Author/ND)