The Group Internationale de Recherche sur l'Enseignment de la Physique (GIREP), known in English as The International Research Group on Physics Teaching, is an independent association for the improvement of physics teaching in schools and, to a lesser extent, at the interface between school and university. Provided in this three-part book is information based on surveys, carried out up to 1981 on behalf of GIREP, on the policies and practices in physics teacher education in 33 foreign countries. Part I consists of background information. Part II consists of country-by-country reports from correspondents with diagrams summarizing the systems of education and physics teacher training. These reports give some idea of school systems, the extent of physics teaching at school and tertiary levels, and the general nature of courses for initial physics teacher training. Part III consists of additional information from selected countries. These include: tables of statistical data on such variables as numbers of schools and physics teachers, population related to land area, and annual production of physics teachers; tabulated summaries of courses provided for physics teacher education; brief details of curriculum developments; selected final-year examination questions and book lists for physics courses; and country-by-country summaries of in-service training. (JN)