through research projects. The project is presently at the stage of developing or identifying evaluation techniques which will correspond with the specific objectives included in the catalog. A series of research projects designed to show the relationship between teaching competencies and pupil achievement is needed (28). This study should provide evidence of change in teacher and student behavior for one of the competencies. Since middle school certification in the state of Florida will be based on acquired competencies, research of this nature is vitally needed.
The middle school level was chosen for this research paper because of a number of factors. Alexander emphasized the need for evaluation of curriculum and middle school program (1). Bondi in his guidebook for developing middle schools also stressed the need for evaluation (8). Trauschke, in a summary of research on the middle school,noted that few individuals, schools, or school systems have attempted to evaluate systematically the middle school (61).
From discussion with over a hundred middle school teachers at a three-day inservice workshop, the writer identified the problem of using students' interests as one that vitally concerned teachers. Since exploratory activities and special interest programs are endemic to the middle school