Microteaching in the Preservice Education of Teachers: Time for a Reexamination

Although considerable research has demonstrated the effectiveness of microteaching in promoting specific teacher behavior in small group settings, little investigation has been done on the level of transfer of these behaviors to the actual classroom, In this study thirteen specific questioning skills were taught to two groups of student teachers. The experimental group was given microteaching experiences to help them learn these skills, while the control group received no microteaching experiences, A comparison of the two groups accomplished by analyzing video tapes of teacher questioning behavior during regular classroom discussions revealed no significant differences. It was concluded that more effective means of integrating microteaching into a field experience program need to be developed.