Deep and rapid changes in a "high-tech" society exceed the ability of formal educational systems to respond to new learning needs. Therefore, the future of post secondary education will increasingly include emphases on self-directed learning skills and activities. Despite recognition of such a trend, knowledge of self-directed learning and self-directed learners is in its infancy.This study-of self-directed learning and performance was designed to determine the relationship of self-directed learning readiness and performance in an occupational setting. Business, government and industry are expected to depend heavily upon self-directed learning in the future. Because of the increasingly close relationship between education and these sectors of the economy, educators should have a keen interest in this kind of research.The sample included 753 individuals selected from the population of a large American utility company: 421 were managers and 318 were non-managers; 14 subjects did not define their occupational status. Subjects provided information on their management level, sex, age, education, race, job performance rating, creativity required on their jobs, problem-solving ability needed in their jobs and degree of change in their work. Nine hypotheses were tested at the 0.05 level of significance.Selected conclusions are as follows: (a) outstanding performers in jobs requiring a very high level of creativity had significantly higher SDLRS scores than others; (b) outstanding performers in jobs requiring a very high degree of problem-solving skill had significantly higher SDLRS scores than others; and (c) individuals who have completed higher levels of education tend to have higher SDLRS scores.

The cost of teacher turnover to schools and school districts has only recently been studied. This research reveals that when high-quality teachers leave the classroom, the effect on both student performance and school and district fiscal operations is significant and deleterious. The implications for study in this area include the planning of teacher induction programs that can improve teacher retention and student achievement, and educational finance reforms that have the potential to increase the efficiency of school district finances and operations. In this article, the two fiscal measurement instruments used to determine the cost of teacher attrition are compared and critiqued—the School Turnover Analysis and the Teacher Turnover Cost Calculator. The article concludes with recommendations for future research and policy reform, and encourages the increased use of teacher attrition cost measurement tools in schools and school districts.

A comparative study was made between 753 employees in a U.S. telecommunications company and 655 employees of a Hong Kong telecommunications utility in order to determine whether similarities and differences exist between learning style and job performance. The study revealed a positive relationship between readiness for self‐directed learning as measured by the Self‐Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) and job performance in both samples. In general, U.S. respondents scored higher than Hong Kong respondents on the scale.

This study examines the relationship between readiness for self-directed learning as measured by the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale (SDLRS) and occupational categories at a large manufacturingfirm. The sample consisted of 607 respondents who included managers and nonmanagers. Nine occupational categories were examined. ANOVA tests resulted in statistically signijicant d$erences among the mean SDLRS scores below the .001 level. The highest mean scores were in the sales area. Managers scored significantly higher than nonmanagers at the .005 level.

Major factors supporting the increased use of self‐direction in learning strategies in business and industry are presented, and the types of application are explored, with special emphasis on techniques for overcoming resistance to the new approaches.