What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to shift extension educators' focus from reactive to proactive strategies in program planning.

May 29, 2026Open Access

Anticipating Issues

Key Points

The aim is to shift extension educators' focus from reactive to proactive strategies in program planning.
Focus on detecting signals of change to inform programming decisions.
Analyze distinct types of change by evaluating patterns in direction, magnitude, pace, and duration.
Promote skill development among educators for identifying and addressing emerging issues.
Change is often predictable and can be detected before it occurs.
Educators showed improved abilities in anticipating and addressing client-identified issues.
The approach fosters a more effective and responsive programming environment.

Abstract

Dynamic issues-focused programming requires a future-oriented vision rather than waiting for the future to unfold.It requires a proactive stance toward change rather than a reactive one.Extension educators skilled at dealing with client-identified issues must learn new skills in how to anticipate issues, a significant change in the program planning process for this grassroots, bottom-up organization.Anticipatory planning is the process we must learn to position ourselves for issues-focused programming.Central to this process is learning to detect signals of change, and thus the critical issues generated by change.Change seldom occurs unannounced.In fact, most changes are predictable."There are distinct kinds of change; and these have patterns -with dimensions of direction, magnitude, pace and duration that can be seen and measured."1

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