THE STUDY SAMPLE INCLUDED 97 INSTITUTIONS RANDOMLY SELECTED FROM THE MEMBERSHIP LIST OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES FOR TEACHER EDUCATION AND LOCATED IN 32 OF THE 50 STATES. FIFTY OF THE INSTITUTIONS WERE COLLEGES AND 47 WERE UNIVERSITIES; 50 INSTITUTIONS WERE PUBLICLY SUPPORTED AND 47 WERE PRIVATELY SUPPORTED; AND 68 INSTITUTIONS HAD TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS ACCREDITED BY THE NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR THE ACCREDITATION OF TEACHER EDUCATION. MOST INSTITUTIONS HAD BOTH EARLY CHILDHOOD AND ELEMENTARY EDUCATION PROGRAMS. THE MEAN ENROLLMENT OF THE COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES WAS 7,075 STUDENTS. QUESTIONNAIRES WERE MAILED TO TEACHER EDUCATION REPRESENTATIVES, WITH THE REQUEST THAT THEY ARE FORWARDED TO FACULTY MEMBERS MOST CLOSELY ACQUAINTED WITH CHILD ABUSE/NEGLECT INSTRUCTION. INFORMATION ON OPPORTUNITIES FOR INSTRUCTION, PURPOSES OF INSTRUCTION, AND CHARACTERISTICS OF INSTRUCTION WAS OBTAINED. SIXTY-ONE INSTITUTIONS OFFERED CHILD ABUSE/NEGLECT INSTRUCTION AS PART OF THE REQUIRED TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM IN EARLY CHILDHOOD OR ELEMENTARY EDUCATION. PUBLICLY SUPPORTED INSTITUTIONS OFFERED MORE HOURS OF SUCH INSTRUCTION THAN DID PRIVATELY SUPPORTED INSTITUTIONS. THE TWO PRIMARY PURPOSES OF CHILD ABUSE/NEGLECT INSTRUCTION WERE TO INTRODUCE THE GENERAL TOPIC OF CHILD ABUSE/NEGLECT AND TO ACQUAINT PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS WITH THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES. VARIOUS METHODS WERE INCORPORATED IN CHILD ABUSE/NEGLECT INSTRUCTION, ALTHOUGH MOST INSTRUCTION WAS THEORETICAL AND LACKED A PRACTICAL COMPONENT. SINCE 49 OF THE 50 STATES REQUIRE TEACHERS OR OTHER SCHOOL PERSONNEL TO REPORT SUSPECTED CASES OF CHILD ABUSE OR NEGLECT, IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT THE NUMBER OF HOURS FOR CHILD ABUSE/NEGLECT INSTRUCTION BE INCREASED. THE STUDY QUESTIONNAIRE AND TABULAR DATA ARE APPENDED. REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (AUTHOR'S ABSTRACT MODIFIED--DEP)