The big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE), the negative effect of school-/class-average achievement on academic self-concept, is one of educational psychology's most universal findings. However, critiques of this research have proposed moderators based on achievement motivation theories. Nevertheless, because these motivational theories are not…

This is an exploratory study which inquires and investigates the difficulties associated with Quality Assurance (QA) and Program Accreditation. The study highlights specific issues faced in the adoption and implementation of QA standards, sub standards and criteria. It identifies a few critical success factors (CSFs) and indigenised QA tools for…

The world of work is being impacted by a fourth industrial revolution, transformed by artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies. With forecasts suggesting large shares of workers, displaced by automation, in need of upskilling/reskilling, the design of active skills policies is necessary. Conventional methods used to anticipate…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine how a foresight project supports institutional positioning efforts through joint sensemaking. Design/methodology/approach: This paper describes a case study that investigated the design, implementation, and outcomes of a foresight project at a Finnish higher education institution that selected sales…

This article provides an in-depth case study analysis of a pilot project organized by the section "Strategic Analysis" of the Belgian Federal Police. Using the Delphi method, which is a judgmental forecasting technique, a panel of experts was questioned about future developments of crime, based on their expertise in criminal or social…

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to investigate the future of education (pre-primary, primary and secondary education) in Cyprus until the year 2020. Design/methodology/approach: A three-round Delphi forecasting technique is used in order to make predictions about the future of schools and schooling in Cyprus based on the opinions of a…

Describes a Delphi study in which Finnish experts predicted the extent of information technology use in libraries and information centers. Predictions are summarized in the areas of workstations; fax and electronic mail; videotex; print, electronic, and optical publishing; indexing and storage of sounds and images; speech recognition and scanning…

This paper presents findings of a study that investigated the concerns of Canadian superintendents. In a three-round modified Delphi design, an inventory of educational concerns was mailed to all 105 chief superintendents in a western Canadian province. A total of 76 superintendents responded in round 1 and 87 responded in round 2. They identified…

This paper reports on an unfinished Delphi investigation of the future information management. Too often the personal aspect of information provision is overlooked in the light of the dramatic development of technology. However, behind every technological advance there is a provider whose role it is to source, organize, and disseminate the…

Describes a study that used the Delphi technique to investigate the impact and likely potential of CD-ROM technology in Australian academic and special libraries. The areas of library applications examined include cataloging, reference work, archival storage, general development of CD-ROM hardware and software, and funding for CD-ROM products and…

This paper presents findings of a study that attempted to predict the future concerns of a sample of Canadian school board members. The three-round Delphi study was conducted by mail with a random sample of 350 school board members in a western Canadian province. The response rate was 39 percent. Participants predicted that their future top…