Self-directed, or independent study activities were studied in adolescents, as well as their antecedents and consequences. The interrelationships, across age and grade, of several variables were described; i.e.: course requirements and conditions, student characteristics, study activities, and school achievement. First, autonomous learning contexts and activities were described and classsified. Models for studying aptitude-treatment-interaction and grade-level effects were also developed. Autonomous learning activities were categorized in two ways: (1) cognitive transformational activities concerned with manipulating the material to some end related to learning; and (2) task-oriented or information-processing-oriented cognitive activities. The following self-management activities were also studied: effort management, time management and behavioral monitoring. Five studying contexts were associated with certain autonomous learning activities. It was hypothesized that academic achievement depends on learning activities and self-management, and that the strength and nature of this relationship depends on course requirements and student characteristics. Also, as the grade level increases, so do demands on students' cognitive transformational and self-management activities. Autonomous learning activities increasingly account for achievement variance. (GDC)