Conclusions from two studies (including a three-year nationwide study of higher education institutional planning) concern types of planning (strategic, program, facility, operational, budget, and issue-specific), and limitations (the limited powers of prediction and the political character of planning and budgeting). Types of budgeting processes…

Examined validity of American College Testing (ACT) Program test scores and self-reported high school grades for predicting grades in 12 types of college freshman courses in English and mathematics in 277 colleges. Found predictions based on ACT scores alone yielded similar or higher median multiple correlations than predictions based on high…

Predicts technological changes that will occur over the next 25 years and their impact on higher education. Highlights include overall trends in communications; digitization of information; the use of scanning devices; and neural networking. Thirteen questions about potential changes due to the information environment are listed. (KRN)

This study of special education faculty needs at institutions of higher education for the periods 1984-88 and 1989-94 found that many positions were filled by individuals already in higher education or previously employed in state or local education agencies. Results suggest that a substantial number of future applicants may also come from these…

Children, ages 4 through 10, predicted exam performance of stimulus students using information about both motivation and ability as well as about either motivation or ability alone. Age did not emerge as the main determinant of response consistency. Children gave greater weight to positive than to negative motivation but equal weight to both…

Issues of dimensionality, validity, reliability, and generalizability of students' ratings of instruction were studied with 610 college students who evaluated their instructors on the Teacher Effectiveness Scale. The Scale had high internal consistency, but interrater reliability, generalizability, and predictive validity warrant further study.…

Reports a study that examined the utility of health and exercise locus of control and health and exercise value in predicting exercise behavior in 86 adults. Survey results indicated that exercise locus of control was a better predictor of exercise behavior than a more general measure of health locus of control. (Author/SM)

The evolution of the field of program evaluation is discussed, assuming that current major trends will continue, especially the trend toward theory-driven evaluation. Participating in planning without compromising evaluators' integrity will be an important and challenging task for the future. (SLD)

Results of a discriminant analysis of incoming freshmen (n=576) revealed that behavior problems were best distinguished by goal-directed behavior, self-esteem, previous grade point average, and admission status, in that order. A second discriminant analysis was conducted using end-of-semester grade point average, and the most accurate variables in…

This article comments on the reporting by Douglas Detterman and others (EC 604 995) of a larger magnitude of g among young adults with mental retardation. Reliance on g-based measures for screening and diagnosis may thus be misleading, by implying that those tested were less differentiated than may be the case. (JDD)

Views of five members of the evaluation community in Washington (D.C.) concerning the future of evaluation in the federal government are summarized. Evaluators include (1) E. Chelimsky; (2) M. F. Mangano; (3) J. S. Wholey; (4) R. C. Sonnichsen; and (5) C. Wye. (SLD)

Students (n=457, ages 8-21) with learning disabilities or emotional handicap were assessed on self-perceptions and perceptions of home and classroom contexts. Students' achievement and adjustment were able to be predicted from the motivationally relevant variables of self-perception and perception-of-context. (Author/JDD)

Followed two large cohorts of African-American third graders from low-income families into early adolescence. Assessed adjustment at end of first year of middle school by teacher and parent ratings and by adolescent self-reports. Found that both childhood aggression and peer rejection appeared to be significant predictors of adolescent disorder,…

The ability of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), average achievement test scores, and high school class rank to predict students' grades was examined for 3,816 undergraduate students entering the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) in 1983 and 1984. Results suggest that the SAT makes a relatively small contribution to prediction. (SLD)

Explains how colleges can take control of their futures by anticipating needs and demands. Describes environmental scanning, a way of identifying future concerns based on current trends and emerging issues. Provides examples of colleges that used forecasting and scanning to develop new courses and refine mission statements. (DMM)