The purpose of this case study was to understand how attending an undergraduate academic conference contributes to a student's sense of belonging, not only within their institution but also in the larger academic community. This research was informed by the literature on club participation in conferences and faculty/student connections. Through…

Grassroots organizations have a critical role in supporting learning within many urban communities (Sobeck, Agius, & Mayers, 2007). Unfortunately, many informal organizations are short-lived as funding disappears and volunteer participation wanes. The Unspun Heroes, an informal fibre arts group committed to learning and developing skills…

Research has shown that educators may be reluctant to implement group work in their teaching due to concerns about students partaking in off-task behaviours. However, such off-task interactions have been shown to promote motivation, trust, and rapport-building. This paper details a study in which student groups were video recorded as they engaged…

Decades of studies show that children's behavior is shaped by relationships in the "social ecology" of family, peers, school, and community. But in recent decades the prevailing scientific dogma was that genes determine destiny. Now it is clear that experience changes genes. For better or worse, environmental experiences including nutrition,…

Describes a study designed to determine the effects of group cohesiveness on group performance in a management game and, to examine the effects voluntary v assigned group membership has on the cohesiveness of the group. (Author/LLS)

This paper argues that people who interact regularly and repetitively among themselves create a conjoint information space wherein common values, attitudes, and beliefs arise through the process of information transmission among the members in the space. Three major hypotheses concerning informal communication groups in organizations were tested…

Asserts that all behavior is result of individual-group interaction, determined by attachment to and identification with various groups to which one belongs. Presents this social cohesion as a function of member's levels and types of group involvement. Describes types ranked according to degree of involvement (identification, alienation, autonomy,…

Community colleges, because they are still young and capable of innovation, can help to give students a sense of group identity and insights into the interrelatedness of living and learning, and, thus, can provide a vehicle for constructive social change. (DC)

Group members tend to like other members of their own group more than members of groups to which they do not belong. This paper focuses on some of the initial determinants of this own-group preference and on the isolation of factors which increase or decrease it. The major finding appears to be that the mere anticipation of cooperation or…

A study examined the relationship between participation and performance in groups to determine whether increased communicative activity brought about through participation in groups resulted in the acquisition of specific types of organizational knowledge and increased motivation which positively affected performance. Subjects for the study were…

This study was an attempt fo document aspects of small group work in classrooms engaged in the process education curricula called "Materials and Activities for Teachers and Children" (MATCH). Data on student-student interaction was related to small group work and gathered by paper-and-pencil sociometric questionnaires and measures of group…

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)

Examines career group literature in terms of group process variables of therapeutic factors, client composition, and leadership variables. Denotes function of process variables as "used" (factor emphasized as significant part of career group intervention) or "examined" (factor either measured or manipulated). Presents…

Employs observations and interviews to explore ways four basketball teams used players' bodies to create a plural self, transforming individuals into interconnected, deindividualized members. Raises the possibility that for many athletes this temporarily realized plural self continues as a possible self and invites the development of certain…