MAINTAINING FLEXIBILITY IN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMING, NECESSARY TO MEET THE CHANGING NEEDS AND SOCIAL PROBLEMS OF THE ADULT STUDENT, CALLS FOR STAFF MEMBERS' WILLINGNESS TO ADAPT TO CHANGE. THUS, PREDICTING THE ATTITUDES OF ADULT EDUCATORS TOWARD INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE IS A SIGNIFICANT CONCERN. THIS RESEARCH TESTED THE NOTION, DRAWN FROM PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIOLOGICAL, AND ADMINISTRATIVE THEORY, THAT AN INDIVIDUAL'S PERSONALITY OR VALUE SYSTEM IS A LESS ADEQUATE MEASURE OF HIS ATTITUDE TOWARD CHANGE THAN IS HIS PERCEPTION OF THE EFFECTS OF CHANGE ON HIS PERSONAL INTERESTS AND INSTITUTIONAL GOALS. DATA, COLLECTED BY MEANS OF A QUESTIONNAIRE ADMINISTERED TO 406 STAFF MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI EXTENSION DIVISION, WERE ANALYZED STATISTICALLY BY FACTOR ANALYSIS. THE ROKEACH DOGMATISM SCALE WAS THE PERSONALITY DIMENSION. RESULTS INDICATED THAT, WHILE ATTITUDE TOWARD CHANGE IN GENERAL MAY VARY FROM PERSON TO PERSON, MOST PEOPLE CONSISTENTLY REACT IN DIFFERENT WAYS TO DIFFERENT CHANGES RATHER THAN AUTOMATICALLY REJECTING OR ACCEPTING ALL CHANGE. THE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE EACH ATTACHES TO DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE "GOODNESS" OR "BADNESS" OF EACH CHANGE IS PARAMOUNT. (AJ)