Also, the previous research has focused more on episodes,
events, or qualities of work that were most
demanding. This has been helpful to identify ‘‘maximal’’
learning situations. That is, research focused on the discrete
happenings within the person’s job experiences that promoted the most growth. However, another important
question is the degree to which all job dimensions, irrespective
of the degree of demand they put on the person,
are associated with the use of learning skills. This includes
a more ‘‘typical’’ performance perspective, allowing for
analysis of all aspects of the work. In the current study,
there was no attempt to only identify those job dimensions
that were most challenging or demanding. Rather, a complete
picture of the various work dimensions was taken,
and the degree to which each dimension was associated
with learning skill demands was assessed.