Research in science teacher education does not appear to have made very much difference in the ways preservice and inservice science teacher education is conducted or in the ways participating teachers teach. This paper illustrates and suggests possible explanations for this state of affairs, and indicates research alternatives which seem to hold greater promise for improving practice. Examples of contemporary science teacher education research are presented, asking of each how significant the question is and to what extent the results achieved may be expected to improve science teacher education practices. It appears that the potential influence of the research is, in many cases, unduly restricted by the format of the research and by the implied assumptions about how science teachers and science teacher educators evaluate proposals for the improvement of practice. Alternatives to the most familiar form of science teacher education research are presented, looking at the significance of the questions and the potential influence of the results. (Author/BB)