A young Latina mother's appreciation of a children's book inspired the development of a parent discussion program. Hispanic parents meet regularly to examine children's literature, a non-threatening, non-academic topic. Parents discuss books written in Spanish and stories and poems written by their children. Through the project, parents learn to…

The story of the United States Constitution is told in 12 posters: "The Blessings of Liberty"; "The Articles of Confederation"; "A 'Less Perfect' Union, 1781-1788"; "The Constitutional Convention"; "The Founders' Achievement"; "The Anti-Federalist Argument"; "Ratification";…

Reciprocal teaching is a form of dialogue in which students and teachers construct meaning from text. The teacher models the steps of the procedure and gradually encourages students to assume the role of "teacher." Reciprocal teaching involves four strategies which promote comprehension of the text: question-generating, summarizing,…

This report describes the methodology and results of a study of racist attitudes and behaviors. The introduction provides the background and states difficulties due to funding and time constraints. Research and data collection procedures are delineated in the second section. In section 3, results are presented in tabular form, and intercoder…

This study focused on the role played by two factors--interpersonal attractiveness of group members and pattern of distribution of task-relevant information--in forming an influence base in task-oriented discussion groups. For purposes of the study, members of discussion groups who were confederates in the study were assigned attitudinal…

This paper is based on the evaluation of the Tanzanian education campaign called "Man is Health." It reviews the genesis of the campaign, objectives and organization, training system, examples of the groups at work, preliminary findings, and other significant aspects of the total effort. (Author)

Sponsored by National Institute of Mental Health grant MH-08274.

This study assessed the effect of room design on small-group communication patterns. Twenty-seven groups of three subjects each were assigned to nine types of rooms that differed with respect to shape, interior decoration, and other environmental elements. Subjects discussed a standard group-discussion topic. Data indicated that room design had no…

Full study of small group communication must include consideration of task and socio-emotional dimensions, especially in relation to group problem solving. Thirty small groups were tested for their reactions in various "ad hoc" conflict resolution situations. Instructions to the groups were (1) no problem-solving instructions (control),…

This kit, designed for leaders and participants, provides a model for organizing and taking part in Community Consultation Groups. The kit was designed to be used in connection with community concerns about growth in Boulder, Colorado. These groups build upon a previous survey to assist the Commission in determining specific growth concerns in the…

This study examines the viability of time limit as an independent variable for investigating the decision-making process. Three major aspects of time and decision making are investigated: (1) time and accuracy of group decision, (2) time and member satisfaction with the group decision, and (3) time and perceived accuracy of group decision. A pilot…

Secular (commercial) films should be used in the service of the church for two major reasons: 1) a responsible church cannot ignore the fact that in our culture films play a determinative role in belief and value formation, and 2) a creative church will not want to ignore their great potential as an educational tool. If the church urges its…

Investigates the relationship between evaluations of the teaching effectiveness of discussion group leaders and (1) teaching status (undergraduate or graduate), (2) sex of section leader, and (3) sex-typing. Results show that undergraduate teaching assistants are respected and successful section leaders, possibly because of their closeness in age…

Results of a two-year followup study are reported of students in a course on social work with groups in which the only mechanism for evaluation of learning was a small group oral examination. The effectiveness of the method is discussed regarding responsiveness to student self-image and promotion of theory/practice integration. (Author/LBH)