To test the applicability of systems theory to educational problems, an explanatory construct of "openness" is presented, posited as the crucial variable in determining a system's relation to the environment and therefore the basic property of the individual person-system to be modified by the educational process. Written as a monograph by a professor, tentative construct validation for a Cognitive Openness Scale is provided to demonstrate the utility of generating hypotheses as implications from formal theory. A theoretical overview of the individual and his relations in a community presents a psychological view of man within the conceptual framework of a systems approach. Field tested by means of 240 interviews in a random area sampling, item analysis and analysis of internal consistency reliability were conducted for 65 belief statements in the Cognitive Openness Scale. A second sampling gathered 324 usable Cognitive Openness Scales in addition to Household Survey Schedules as a data base for their validation. Confirmation of the majority of hypotheses about the openness construct by factor and trend analysis substantiates the validity of the Cognitive Openness Scale as an operational measure of cognitive openness. Implications for education are drawn. Extensive resource materials, including maps, are included. (AG)