These 23 papers provide as complete a picture as possible of the current efforts in self-directed learning application and research. The papers are: "Learning about Self-Directed Learning" (Long); "Philosophical, Psychological, and Practical Justifications for Studying Self-Direction in Learning" (Long); "In Search of Consensus in the Study of Self-Directed Learning" (Confessore, Confessore); "A Unifying Framework for Data-Based Research into Adult Self-Directed Learning" (Danis); "What's in a Name? The Language of Self-Directed Learning" (Gerstner); "Free-Will, Freedom, and Self-Directed Learning" (Jarvis); "Research in Self-Directed Learning: Some Critical Observations" (Caffarella); "Validation Study of the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale with University and Community Art Students" (Jones); "A Descriptive Investigation of the Construct of Self-Direction" (Redding, Aagaard); "An Exploratory Study of Self-Directed Learning Readiness and Field Independence/Dependence among Students in Architectural Design Studios" (Price, Kudrna, Flegal); "Familial Relationships in Readiness for Self-Directed Learning" (Guglielmino); "An Analysis of a Modified Form of Guglielmino's Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale" (Long, Walsh); "Self-Directed Learning in the Federal Republic of Germany" (Straka, Will); "Adult Learners in Academic Settings: Self-Directed Learning within the Formal Learning Context" (Kasworm); "A Comparative Study of Selected Student Data to Determine Relative Success of Students Enrolled in Telecourses versus Those Enrolled in Live Classes at Rogers State College" (Titsworth, Hess, Hawkins); "Educational Context, Motivational Orientation, and Cognitive Flexibility in Undergraduate Nursing Education" (Loving); "Evaluation and Self-Directed Learning" (Steele); "Preparing the Learner for Self-Directed Learning" (Piskurich); "Individualizing the Instructional Process: What We Have Learned from Two Decades of Research on Self-Direction in Learning" (Hiemstra); "Evaluation of a Self-Directed Learning Program for Adult Learners" (DeJoy, Mills); "Dimensions of Self-Directed Learning in Personal Change: The Case of Weight Loss" (Courtney, Rahe); "Adult Self-Directed Learning in a Professional Program" (Moran, Weatherby); and "The Continuum of Self-Directed Learning within a Graduate Professional Course" (Baker, Nishikawa). The volume contains 42 tables and 10 figures. (YLB)