A new construct, the Science Locus of Control (SciLOC) Orientation, was examined as a predictor of attitudes toward science teaching among 108 preservice elementary teachers. It is postulated that each person holds beliefs regarding the degree of his or her personal control in situations where decision, actions, or other modes of performance require either the application of scientific knowledge or the employment of inductive or deductive reasoning skills associated with scientific thinking. These beliefs give rise to behaviors, including expressed attitudes, which reflect the control orientation. Multiple regression analysis was employed to demonstrate that up to 47 percent of the variance in expressed attitudes toward science teaching can be explained by SciLOC orientation. Further analysis indicated that up to 24 percent of the variance in SciLOC orientation can be explained by differences in quantitative comprehension, sex, age, father's occupation, ethnicity, and high school size. These results are interpreted as evidence that SciLOC orientation is a major contributor to expressed attitudes toward science teaching among preservice elementary teachers and that it is influenced by a variety of factors related to academic and cultural experiences. (Author/JN)