The purpose of this paper is to suggest a comparative morphology of groups which would be applicable to the whole of social scientific research. The key to the morphological classes suggested is not a focus on the group system itself but on its relationship with the next higher system--the group system's environment. The information exchange…

A CATEGORY SYSTEM FOR THE DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS OF TEACHER-PUPIL INTERACTION IN HIGH SCHOOL BIOLOGY CLASSES WAS DEVELOPED. IN THE FIRST PHASE, A HETEROGENEOUS SAMPLE OF TEACHERS AND SCHOOLS WAS USED FOR OBSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE CATEGORY SYSTEM. OBSERVATIONS WERE MADE OF LECTURE AND LABORATORY SESSIONS, VERBAL AND NONVERBAL CLASSROOM…

A technique for the analysis of ecosystems developed by Odum focuses on the nature of interactions which take place within the system being considered. This technique can be used to assess the contribution of any variable to an interaction. Using data derived from previous research conducted by Feather, the authors employ this technique to examine…

This document presents an overview and progress report on the Family Research Project, started in 1974 to (1) study the relationship between family process and individual development of family members, especially children, (2) conceptualize and measure system level variables describing family structure and process, (3) develop microanalytic…

The two words, "communication"--defined as the sharing of experience--and "process"--referred to as the movement of interrelated events or actions toward an identifiable goal--may be usefully viewed together as the goal-oriented combination of variables designed to produce at least a single communicative event. In an organizational setting, the…

Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) is a method of examing communication in an organization by focusing on: (1) the complex interrelationships in human systems, particularly in communication systems; (2) interactions across subsystems and system boundaries; and (3) the need to select and "prioritize" channels which will eliminate noise in the…

This paper is an account of the theoretical and practical underpinnings of the Decision-Proposal Modification Coding System (DPM), which allows researchers to study more accurately the many aspects of group decision making in organizations. Following an introduction that reviews and supports arguments for process-oriented research on decision…

Attempts to provide an empirical basis for conducting present and future research into communication structure emphasizing the analysis of the complexity of the communication structure. (MH)

Educational games present the complex realities of simultaneous interactive processes more accurately and effectively than serial processes such as lecturing and reading. Objectives of educational gaming are to motivate students by presenting relevant and realistic problems and to induce more efficient and active understanding of information.…

Because of the need to explore the dimensions of the teaching-learning process, this paper presents a systems' conceptualization of this process, describes an instrument for measuring the major classes of teacher-pupil influence behavior, and discusses data collected with the instrument. Teaching is viewed as human interaction within a series of…

An information system can be viewed as a symbiotic relation between the users of the system and the system's hardware, software, and data resources. Ideally, performance evaluation of these systems should be based on the achievement of user based criteria while concurrently minimizing resource costs. Current evaluation technologies concentrate on…

The basic question under examination is the underlying force that brings forth changes in cultural and social organizations. By employing general system theory and communication systemic analysis, the author concludes that communication, especially human communication, is the main vehicle of change. Human interchange, it is suggested, is constant…

Scholars of communication have theorized extensively on the concept of process, but there is a general absence of practical research on the topic. Part of the difficulty in narrowing the gap between theory and research in this area may lie in the use of the term, "the idea of process," in reference to several different, ununified…