"Protocol materials" are records or recordings of a wide variety of behavioral situations. Characteristically they are neither simulated nor extensively edited. They are to be used for the empirical verification of concepts derived from both educational theory and the social sciences. They are attempts to capture reality so that it may be studied and analyzed in detail. Written records (e.g., check lists, matrices, observation systems) and audio tapes may be designated as protocol materials but videotape recordings will likely become the predominant medium. In teacher education the "protocol materials process" is seen as a means of bringing theory and reality together in the theoretical, training, and field components of preparation programs. Information (teacher relevant theory) is presented (by such means as books, lectures, or tape-slide presentations) as a hypothesis or hypothetical construct. Protocol materials are presented for analysis followed by discussion which focuses on the question of whether or not they tend to confirm or deny the hypothesis. Protocol materials would usually be made in the training complex in which they are used, often by the students themselves, because of the need for relevance and immediacy. Such a process has implications for broader aims: to individualize instruction, personalize a student's philosophy of education, and provide him with tools necessary for continued self-evaluation and appraisal of his role and situation. (JS)