Five distinct format categories are used in this study to describe the form of educational objectives: clarity, range, level of abstractness, behavioralness, and observability. These form concepts are used to describe paradigm statements of three kinds of educational objectives: goals, intended learning outcomes, and behavioral evidence. Goals are defined as the attributes a pupil should possess on completion of an educational experience; intended learning outcomes are those learnings a pupil should accomplish as part of an educational experience; and behavioral evidence statements contribute to operational clarity and are used to assess the achievement of goals or intended learning outcomes. These concepts are congruent with a process/product model of educational development, which leaves the decision as to the precise form of an educational objective to the educational planner in each context. The paradigm statements themselves may be used as a reference for analyzing or constructing a set of educational objectives. (Author/JG)