Consider a small, light, nose wheel tricycle aircraft, something along the lines of a C152 or similar, sitting at the end of the runway ready for takeoff, with no issues and with all pre-takeoff checks completed.
In general, what is the correct procedure for take-off with regards to the elevator and nose wheel?
One instructor I've flown with taught takeoff as apply nearly full aft (nose up) elevator before beginning the takeoff roll. After rotation occurs, accelerate further to and maintain best climb speed, limited by maximum flaps extended speed (which for the particular type I'm flying are identical). This approach has the obvious advantage of getting the nose wheel off the ground as soon as there is sufficient lift for that, and ensures that one can look straight ahead at the runway, not really having to worry about the instruments at all before rotation, but means you need to be careful to not apply too much aft elevator at the moment the nose wheel lifts off the ground (since you don't yet have sufficient speed to actually fly, and by rotating too quickly you'll end up with a tail strike on the runway).
Another instructor, in the exact same aircraft, advocated neutral elevator until around the maximum speed the nose wheel can take, then slight aft elevator to raise the nose wheel, and more aft elevator for lift-off only when approaching speed of best climb. This has the advantage of keeping you near the ground longer during the takeoff roll, but requires keeping pretty close tabs on the instruments (and possibly adjusting from airspeed to ground speed, because the nose wheel is concerned with ground speed which is likely less than the indicated airspeed because the airplane is facing a headwind component). To me, this seems more complex.
Obviously in both cases, after lift-off, the important number becomes the indicated airspeed (a proxy for which can be engine power and airplane pitch), which should be near the speed of best climb to gain altitude as quickly as possible. That's the easy part.
But while the wheels are still on the runway, why would one prefer one style of takeoff over the other? Are there any particular situations in which either is clearly superior to the other, or is it merely a matter of taste?