This article explores the dynamics of a creative problem solving meeting which frequently reaches impasse. Excerpts from the meeting transcript are presented to determine where and why the group gets off track in developing a method to evaluate sales training. Suggestions are offered for steering the group away from win/lose arguments and into…

Principals, familiar with school personnel, goals, and operations, are a logical leadership choice for establishing an effective decision-making process. School-based management offers potential for organizational change geared toward teacher empowerment. Principals must first encourage open communication and trust and help staff develop…

Single- or mixed-gender pairs of elementary children were told either to work cooperatively on a computer-based language task or be assessed individually. Performance measures indicated a disadvantage for mixed pairs, improved performance for cooperative pairs. Girls tended to cooperate regardless of being told to or not; mixed pairs cooperated…

Describes nine group problem-solving and communication initiatives used in adventure- and experiential-education settings. Includes target group, group size, time and space requirements, activity level, props, instructions, and tips for post-activity group reflection and processing. Activities emphasize teamwork, communication skills, and a…

Discusses whether verbal interaction is recognized as the source from which co-operative groups draw their power to facilitate mathematical learning. Reflects on a group in a mathematics course for prospective secondary teachers focused on problem solving where silence was commonplace. (ASK)

Responds to a letter from a camp leader who experienced difficulty with an adolescent girl during a 3-day hike and disapproved of a staff member's response. Offers advice on handling such a problem, addressing the staff member's intervention without undermining his credibility, revisiting the situation with the group, and exploiting the…

This grounded theory article focuses on the role of social communications during an online group problem-solving class. The proposed theory states that students working collaboratively and asynchronously with people they do not know use social comments to overcome emotional and geographical distance feelings. The subthemes of self-revelation,…

In a time when nearly half the country's employees are currently working in self-directed work groups, successful team working within organizations is more important than ever. The Problem-Possibility-Pursuit-Presentation (PPPP) Portfolio Project is designed to give students an opportunity to experience teamwork in a meaningful fashion. This…

Groups are defined as a small, interdependent group of individuals who share a common identity and interact with one another, usually face to face over time. While groups can be an effective way to explore issues and provide creative solutions to problems, rarely do members in groups get through the process without encountering a difficult group…

We consider group decision-making on an optimal stopping problem, for which large and stable individual differences have previously been established. In the problem, people are presented with a sequence of five random numbers between 0 and 100, one at a time, and are required to choose the maximum of the sequence, without being allowed to return…

This article explores the use of discourse analysis and conversation analysis as an evaluation tool in problem-based learning. The basic principles of the methods are discussed and their application in analysing talk in problem-based learning considered. Findings suggest that these methods could enable an understanding of how effective…

Subjects responded to risk and caution life-dilemma problems in either a group discussion or a control procedure. Before and after experimental treatment, subjects filled in a questionnaire involving whether or not the character in the dilemma should take the risk. Results are discussed. (Author)

In the history of small group studies (in the field of communication theory and research), two factors contributed to the changes that led to Ernest Bormann publishing in 1970 his work questioning the value of the knowledge being reported and the appropriateness of the methods by which it was being generated. First, prior to 1965, a limited amount…

Two studies examined certain discrepancies which have been considered important evidence in support of interpersonal comparison (value-adherence) explanations of group induced shifts in choice. (Editor)