Educational value orientations impact teacher choices (Ennis & Zhu, 1991) and guide student learning (Weistein, 1989) and are developed within teacher education programs (Solomon & Ashy, 1995). Once pre-service teachers develop an active realization of their vale orientations they are not easily altered (Kagan, 1992), therefore it is important that educators understand the process of educational value orientation development and make curricular choices that utilize rather than resist orientation development. The purpose of this study was to determine at what point in teacher preparation programs pre-service teachers develop an active realization of their educational value orientations and gain insight into perceived influences. The significance of this study is in the potential for teacher education programs to alter curricular experiences based on orientation development. Content may be offered at a time when students are open to change, or when value orientations can be used to help internalize information. 240 physical education majors (male=147, female=93) were collected through cluster sampling at three Universities in the Midwest. Subjects were divided into one of 4 cohorts based on the number of semesters they have been a physical education major (1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7+) and coursework completed. The Value Orientation Inventory (VOI) (Ennis & Zhu, 1991) was administered to assess the value orientations of each pre-service teacher. A Cognitive Knowledge of Value Classification Survey (CVCS) was administered to determine the pre-service teachers’ perceived value priorities. An Influence Variable Survey (IVS) was administered to determine perceived influences on orientation development. VOI and CVCS results were calculated and a Spearman Rank Correlation was performed. The coefficients obtained were then transferred to Fisher’s z scores. Paired t-tests were then performed between cohorts searching for a significant difference, demonstrating the cohort at which pre-service teachers had developed an active realization of their value priorities. IVS results were used to determine priorities of perceived influences on value orientation development. No significant differences were found between universities. A significant difference was found between the cohorts of 3-4 semesters and 5-6 semesters (p<.05), demonstrating that by semesters 5-6 most pre-service teachers have an active realization of their value orientations. The VOI scores also demonstrated a shift between these cohorts as the percentage of students who had at least one value orientation score outside of the neutral range doubled to 70%. IVS results also demonstrated a major shift in perceived educational value orientation influences between the cohorts of 3-4 and 5-6 semesters.Keyword(s): college level issues, curriculum development, professional preparation