Dr. Wilk is associate professor of educa tion and assistant director of student per sonnel for research, and Dr. Edson is pro fessor of education and director of student personnel, College of Education, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. The authors wish to acknowledge the important contri bution of Dr. Don Davies, Executive Secre tary, National Commission on Teacher Education and Professional Standards, and of Dr. Naomi C. Chase, associate professor of education, College of Education, Univer sity of Minnesota, Minneapolis, who as sisted in the planning and conduct of the study. The research reported herein was performed pursuant to a contract with the U.S. Office of Education.

This paper describes an experimental study designed to test the effect of certain variables associated with the placement of student teachers on their classroom behaviors and to control certain other factors to prevent their influence upon these behaviors. Data from the classroom observation of 36 women student teachers in elementary education were used to test the effect of placement variables. The results showed that all but 2 of 11 scales used to describe classroom performance were significantly affected by 1 or more placement factors. It was concluded that classroom placement factors such as those studied do affect observed classroom behaviors.

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Avenues" as a stimulus word brings to mind such responses as thoroughfares, wide, smooth, and well-travelled. As a title of this symposium, however, "avenues" probably should evoke other responses which more appropriately describe research in teacher education student personnel work. It is more likely that the intent is to connote a way of approach or departure. Perhaps the topic suggests that to the researcher there "openeth a way or ways and each must choose the way he shall go."Before discussing a particular choice of research route, let me discuss for a moment a fundamental, underlying assumption. It is this: research is a function which is (or ought to be) indigenous to student personnel work in teacher education. This assumption develops from the following rationale. A central purpose for programs of teacher education is to prepare those students who are most likely to complete a program of preparation, accept a teaching position, and function adequately as teachers. To accomplish these purposes a college or university decides about its students. They are admitted or rejected; once admitted, they are retained and graduated or dropped. These decisions are made either by design or default. They can be deliberate, purposive, carefully planned, periodically reviewed and evaluated, or they can be routine, perfunctory, unconscious, without adequate review and evaluation. With or without strategy the decisions are made, for students are admitted, retained, and graduated. The indigenous role of research is to provide data which are relevant to the decisionmaking process and to analyze the effectiveness of the process.What then is an appropriate focus for such research? Medley and Mitzel (1963) in their chapter in the Handbook of Research on Teaching suggest that the ultimate objective of teacher education is