Many students cringe and groan when told that they will need to work in a group. However, group work has been found to be good for students and good for teachers. Employers want college graduates to have developed teamwork skills. Additionally, students who participate in collaborative learning get better grades, are more satisfied with their…

Facilitating successful focus groups requires both science and art. One element that can fully challenge focus group facilitators includes how to handle the unfocused focus group. This article describes "unfocus" and the benefits and disadvantages of unfocus in focus groups. Lessons learned from and approaches taken on this journey are shared to…

Investigated the role of a group structuring technique on the amount and depth of process involvement in two counseling training groups. The results partly supported the conclusion that early structure significantly affects process involvement among group members. Additionally, both groups showed strong gains in depth of process involvement over…

Examines the nature and impact of boundaries and boundary management in interpersonal skills training (IST). States that the management trainer should be aware of the boundaries he is establishing with trainees and colleagues, and the possible consequences, and the boundaries others are establishing and his reactions to them. (NRJ)

Examines the transition from a single conversation to two conversations in a group larger than three by focusing on three distinctive properties of the schisming-inducing turn (SIT): (1) the changes in recipiency structure; (2) the sequence-structural properties of the SIT and its uptake; and (3) the topical properties of the SIT. (61 references)…

Conflict episodes among first-graders were videotaped and analyzed. It appears that the function of social conflict among children is to build their small-group society and its structure: while arguing, children create political alignments, and thereby realize their practical interests within a changing set of social relationships. (KH)

The purpose of group counseling was to promote new social learning involving identification with other group members, leading to expanded field perception and insight into the projection of thoughts, feelings and motives onto others. (Author)

Research bearing on three aspects of small group learning is examined: (1) the relationship between interaction and achievement, (2) cognitive process and social-emotional mechanisms bridging interaction and achievement, and (3) characteristics of the individual, group, and reward structure that predict interaction in small groups. (Author/PN)

Discusses some current attempts to redefine the concept of group cohesion, and examines studies designed to manipulate factors hypothesized to enhance cohesion. Concludes with suggestions for more systematic and potentially fruitful research. (Author)

Both social ability and social disability models of delinquent peer relations have been developed to explain the social relations of delinquents. A key difference between these models is the assumption of normal social relations among delinquents in the social ability model, contrasted to the social ineptitude and lack of social skills attributed…

A study assessed the validity of applying the Spitzberg and Cupach dyadic model of communication competence to small group interaction. Twenty-four students, in five task-oriented work groups, completed questionnaires concerning self-competence, alter competence, interaction effectiveness, and other group members' interaction appropriateness. They…

The School Personnel Utilization Project developed a series of modules to assist personnel in building the necessary skills for the development of organizational change strategies and collaborative, collegial educational problem solving capabilities. This module focuses on the dynamics of organizational change and the interpersonal skills…

This handbook is part of a set of instructional materials developed to facilitate the efforts of educators in planning and implementing comprehensive career guidance programs. (See CE 018 130 for the final report of the Georgia Comprehensive Career Guidance Project.) The focus of this handbook is on group leadership and is intended to help…