THE RESPONSE OF INDIVIDUAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS TO INNOVATIONS IN TEACHING DEVICES AND TEACHING MATERIALS WAS INVESTIGATED. THE GOAL OF THE STUDY WAS TO DISCOVER HOW TEACHERS PERCEIVED SPECIFIC EDUCATIONAL INNOVATIONS, AND THEIR ATTITUDES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCEPTANCE AND USE OF THESE INNOVATIONS. PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION, INTERVIEWS, AND A QUESTIONNAIRE WERE USED TO COLLECT DATA FROM A SAMPLE OF 158 TEACHERS REPRESENTING LEVELS OF TEACHING FROM KINDERGARTEN THROUGH THE SIXTH GRADE, AND SCHOOLS IN URBAN, SUBURBAN, AND RELATIVELY RURAL AREAS. THE ROLE OF THE TEACHER WAS EVALUATED IN TERMS OF THE CLASSROOM, ORGANIZATIONAL, AND PROFESSIONAL SEGMENTS OF THAT ROLE, TERMED BY THE AUTHOR AS "ROLE SECTORS," AND IN TERMS OF THE NORMS GOVERNING PERFORMANCE IN THESE SECTORS. THE ACCEPTANCE OF NEW EDUCATIONAL DEVICES WAS REGARDED BY THE AUTHORS AS AN INSTANCE OF THE ACCEPTANCE OF CHANGE IN OCCUPATIONAL EXPERTISE, AND THE AUTHORS SUGGESTED THAT THE DEFINITION OF EXPERTISE IN THE TEACHING PROFESSION IS DETERMINED WITHIN THE SCHOOL ORGANIZATION RATHER THAN BY THE INDIVIDUAL TEACHER. IN THIS CONNECTION, IT WAS OBSERVED THAT THE TEACHER DOES NOT PERCEIVE HER ROLE AS SOMEONE WHO SHOULD OR CAN MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT EDUCATIONAL INNOVATIONS. FINDINGS SHOWED THAT MOST TEACHERS SEE ACCEPTANCE OF A SPECIFIC CHANGE AS SOMETHING CONTINGENT CHIEFLY UPON THE RELEVANT POLICIES OF THEIR ADMINISTRATION, AND TEND TO SEE THEIR OWN ROLE PRIMARILY AS THE ACT OF TEACHING, SUBJECT TO ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGE. FACTORS, OTHER THAN ADMINISTRATIVE AND ORGANIZATIONAL NORMS, WHICH APPEARED TO INFLUENCE THE TEACHERS' ATTITUDES TOWARD EDUCATIONAL INNOVATIONS WERE DISCUSSED. (JH)