THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO IDENTIFY PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS AND SITUATIONAL PERCEPTIONS WHICH DIFFERENTIATE JUNIOR COLLEGE TEACHERS RATED AS INNOVATORS FROM JUNIOR COLLEGE TEACHERS RATED AS TRADITIONALISTS. TEACHERS IN FOUR TEXAS JUNIOR COLLEGES WERE RATED BY THEIR DEANS, AND 52 WHO WERE RATED AS IN TRADITIONAL OR INNOVATIVE GROUPS COMPLETED A QUESTIONNAIRE. VARIABLES STUDIED INCLUDED AGE, SEX, EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, TEACHING FIELDS, COSMOPOLITENESS, AND PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR OWN INNOVATIVENESS IN RELATION TO THAT OF THEIR COLLEAGUES. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF AGE, ALL PERSONAL AND BACKGROUND CHARACTERISTICS STUDIED APPEARED TO HAVE LITTLE VALUE IN THE PREDICTION OF INNOVATIVENESS. INNOVATORS PERCEIVED THEMSELVES AS MORE INNOVATIVE THAN THE AVERAGE, WHILE TRADITIONALISTS CONSIDERED THEMSELVES AT LEAST AVERAGE IN INNOVATIVENESS. THIS PH.D. DISSERTATION IS AVAILABLE AS DOCUMENT NO. 66-14,465, FOR $3.00 (MICROFILM) OR $5.40 (XEROGRAPHIC COPY) FROM UNIVERSITY MICROFILMS, INC., 313 NORTH FIRST STREET, ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN 48107. (WO)