American Studies ETDs

Publication Date

7-7-1977

Abstract

The U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare projects that 1,353,000 higher-education degrees will be awarded in 1977, versus 635,000 in 1964--a 113 per cent increase in only thirteen years. Many of these individuals will become what Peter Drucker, the management theorist, calls "knowledge workers." They will pursue work which involves the creation and marketing of knowledge and ideas rather than the production of goods or delivery of services. The "tools" of the knowledge worker, then, are concepts and skills; unfortunately, in a highly technologi­cal society, these concepts and skills change so rapidly they often become obsolete during the work life of the knowledge worker. Obsolescence affects the identity of the individual, his ability to perform knowledge work, and the productivity of the organization. To minimize the impact of obsolescence, many organizations which employ knowledge workers sponsor in-house continuing education programs. In 1969, the National Science Foundation (NSF) conducted a national survey of in-house continuing education programs and found (1) there is a need to define explicit conceptual boundaries for continuing education for knowledge workers, and (2) there are few systematic studies based on direct observation of the continuing education process.

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

American Studies

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

American Studies

First Committee Member (Chair)

Charles DeWayne Biebel

Second Committee Member

Daniel Michael Slate

Third Committee Member

Robert J. Sickels

Fourth Committee Member

Richard L. Schwoebel

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