Children's experiences of empowerment in relation to preschool peers and in child-adult interactions were studied, involving 25 four- to six-year-olds from four Swedish preschools. Group interviews using puppets comprised pre-constructed scenarios to examine preschools' activities. Children took photos of indoor and outdoor preschool environments,…

Studies of primary education within the UK have shown that small groups can feature within classrooms; however, equivalent research within secondary education remains scarce. Research has established effective group work approaches, yet secondary teachers may encounter difficulties employing approaches tied to parameters embedded within primary…

This paper explores the process of knowledge convergence and knowledge sharing in the context of classroom collaboration in which students do a group learning activity mediated by a generic representation tool. In analysing the transcript of the interactions of a group, we adapt the group cognition method of Stahl and the uptake analysis…

This article explores the construction of parent-teacher conferences in the Swedish preschool and focuses on processes that construct and maintain these meetings. The analysis draws upon an ethnographic study in two preschools and the empirical material consists of 11 audiotaped parent-teacher conferences and observations of everyday activities…

Sees introduction of specific structures and exercises in psychotherapy group as directly controlling course of events and affecting members' perceptions of the group and leader. Asserts that exercises must highlight, rather than bypass, existing group processes. Presents five-step model for preparing, working with, processing, generalizing, and…

Games are described as techniques for structuring a group situation to assist in acquiring cohesiveness. Discussed briefly are the Who Am I Game," the Lemon Game," the Face the Wall Game," and Would This Person Game." (Author/CJ)

This research, developed by the Ford Training and Placement Program, observed a cadre or work group as a miniature replication of the social system of a school. The interim report presents the conceptual framework of group development and recording techniques used for analysis. The conceptual framework emphasized three phases of group development:…

This report explicates the concrete group development of a cadre of persons from Simeon High School, the University of Chicago, and the Board of Education in the summer sector of the Ford Training and Placement Program. The report is organized around crucial indices of group development, i.e., the problem of leadership. Data were collected from…

An intervention package consisting of immediate feedback, delayed social reinforcement, and early access to free time was designed and implemented in an attempt to increase the participation of four-year-old nursery school students in a group activity session. Participation increased when the feedback and praise conditions were introduced. (Author)

Three group processes--regular face-to-face interacting groups, the nominal group technique (NGT), and Delphi procedures--were compared in terms of their ability to facilitate the quantitative and qualitative productivity of a decision making group. The results unequivocally supported the superiority of the Delphi procedures. Findings also tended…

To investigate collaborative learning with multimedia, four groups of three ninth-grade math students worked for one hour with a multimedia package presenting the relationships between distance, speed, and time. Interactions were videotaped and transcribed. Groups engaging in cycles of observation, reflection, discussion, and feedback were seen to…

The objective of the study was to (1) systematically study the process by which small group cooperation develops and to (2) produce guidelines that will be useful to teachers. The sample consisted of 84 seventh grade boys and girls of middle class families. Three randomly assigned samples (rotating, solid, and control) comprised the experimental…

This book provides a sequence of 10 skill-building games and follow-up activities (beginning with "Getting Acquainted" and ending with "Arriving at a Consensus") designed to give students necessary practice in proper discussion techniques. Fifteen remedial exercises to treat such weaknesses as extreme aggressiveness or a habit of straying from the…

Fifty-nine structured exercises to facilitate crosscultural learning are described in this publication. The exercises are divided into clusters that pertain to the following topics: participant introduction and initial group experience, dynamics of communication, clarification of values, identification of roles, group processes, recognition of…

This paper is designed to help youth's significant others harness dissident youth's energy into the reins of society's problems. Included is a comparison between healthy rebellion (arising out of love for something) and neurotic rebellion (having no purpose except to fight conformity or the establishment). The author classifies secondary and…