Describes a simulation exercise designed to illustrate the effects of incentives on individual and group behavior. Examination of game-generated data suggests that the schemes affect both individual and group behavior. (Author/CMV)

Four major theoretical approaches to increasing classroom work involvement (Behavior modification, understanding individual causal dynamics, influence interventions, and ecology of behavior) are examined. The ecology of behavior approach, felt to be the most potentially useful, examines factors in the classroom environment enabling high work…

The behavior of 19 decision-making groups provided the basis for a model of the development of norms in newly formed groups. Data from the decision-making groups are used to illustrate the model, and implications for related research domains are discussed. Appended are 39 references. (MLF)

An alternating individual and group-oriented reinforcement contingency did not generate consistent levels of supportive peer behaviors between two preschoolers with handicaps and their socially competent peers. Two socially competent children were then taught to deliver supportive prompts to their peers during dramatic play, increasing the…

Moshing (intense crowd dancing) and other physical activities common at youth and rock concerts are discussed from the perspectives of safety and of the responsibility of sponsoring organizations, especially colleges and universities. Considerations in creating a safe environment at student events, planning the logistics of such an event, and…

Design is described as a social process and a game. Games provide an experience and environment in which aspects of design skill may be learned. Self-expression (involving no one else) and design (product must satisfy requirements imposed by others) are contrasted. Games described: JOIN, GAMBIT, URBISM, SPIEL, etc. (MLW)

Reports on an action research study by a classroom teacher with 24 12-year-old students to determine whether they can work effectively in cooperative groups without training. Recommends that teachers take time to discover interpersonal relationships and factors in the students' social framework. (CFR)

Maintains that the ways in which students react, absorb, and communicate new information are defined by their perception of the requirements and expectations of their surrounding situation. This information is particularly relevant in designing and implementing school-based drug prevention programs. Provides examples of various situational-based…

The effects of adult literacy classroom dynamics on the content and structure of instruction, learning processes, and classroom behavior were examined in a study during which 20 adult literacy classes in 8 states were observed and the teachers of those classrooms were interviewed. Key findings were as follows: (1) most classroom instruction…

This monograph explores the current use in higher education of cooperative learning, the instructional use of small groups so that students work together to maximize their own and each other's learning. The opening section sets out to define cooperative learning, and to look at the history of the technique, its basic elements, types of cooperative…