This study examined how preservice teachers perceived the research element of their undergraduate education, collecting data from two student cohorts in their final year (109 students during the 1997-98 academic year and 140 during the 1998-99 year). Researchers examined how students felt about the program strand designed to enhance their understanding of the use of research in relation to teaching. Three research units (Critical Reading of Research, Preparation of a Research Proposal, and Individual Inquiry) spanned the general commitment to educational research and students' subject specialization. Data collection included student surveys, interviews with five students, a focus group to test emerging interpretations, and focused interviews with seven students to explore their perceptions of the research role in relation to their professional identities. Most respondents perceived research as a vital aspect of their teaching practice. Students tended not to have a clear conception of the theory-practice relationship. All students mentioned the significance of choice in the research units. Students all cited direct implications of their research for their work as teachers and emphasized the need to take an inquiring stance toward teaching. An appendix presents a summary of the individual profiles for 1998-99 interviewees. (Contains 21 references.) (SM)