Universities are increasingly using group based assessment tasks; however, as with work-place teams, such tasks often elicit mixed feelings from participants. This study investigated factors that may predict student satisfaction with group work at university. Final-year business students completed a questionnaire addressing experiences of group…

Cummins calls on educators to promote critical dialog during micro-interactions with students, times when students acquire knowledge and negotiate their identities. For critical dialog to flourish, educators must create caring environments. The purpose of this paper is to examine whether a discourse of caring was transmitted to ethnic Kurdish…

CSCL systems which follow the dual-interaction spaces paradigm support the synchronous construction and discussion of shared artifacts by distributed or colocated small groups of learners. The most recent generic dual-interaction space environments, either model based or component based, can be deeply customized by teachers for supporting…

This study examines the effect of guided reflection on team processes and performance, based on West's (1996, 2000) concept of reflexivity. Communicating via e-mail, 49 hierarchically structured teams (one commander and two specialists) performed seven 15 min shifts of a simulated team-based military air-surveillance task (TAST) in two meetings, a…

Interpersonal dynamics within friendships were observed in a sample of 120 (60 male, 60 female) ethnically diverse 16- and 17-year-old adolescents characterized as persistently antisocial, adolescent-onset, and normative. Dyadic mutuality and deviant talk were coded from videotaped friendship interactions. Persistently antisocial adolescents…

Research supported by the National Science Foundation (GS-562).

Argues that a modification of the heuristics of classical rhetoric will facilitate an understanding of the dynamics of group decision making and provide a systematic process for attaining consensus. (Author)

Suggests that drama, as well as training or therapy, may be employed as a useful research and practice paradigm in working with small groups. The implications of this view for group development as a whole, and for member and leader participation, are explored. (JAC)

It was found that those ranking high on the dogmatism scale were concerned to a greater degree about the physical setting, the organization and structure of the group, the topics, the goals of the group, evaluation, and level of satisfaction with the group than were those scoring low on the scale. (Author)

Using a ring-tossing exercise the authors show how data can be gathered to show how group pressures alter behavior, how to go about setting realistic goals, and what factors go into goal setting; or to demonstrate the role of worker participation in goal setting. (NL)

A secondary teacher uses examples from his own experience to illustrate how instructors can help students improve learning by following advice about group dynamics given in Richard and Patricia Schmuck's book "Group Processes in the Classroom." (RM)

Contends that inability of groups to address conflict, encourage dissenting views, and face their negative characteristics can result in destructive behavior toward others that remains largely outside awareness of individual members. Examines regressive group characteristics; behavior of United States during Persian Gulf War is used to highlight…

We argue in this article that group work is a distinct methodology that rests upon a unique conceptual base. We suggest that an ecological perspective fits group work especially well, since it encompasses a comprehensive, interdependent, and contextual orientation. Teaching strategies addressing Best Practices in Group Work (ASGW, 1998) are…

How should groups make decisions? The authors provide an original evaluation of 9 group decision rules based on their adaptive success in a simulated test bed environment. When the adaptive success standard is applied, the majority and plurality rules fare quite well, performing at levels comparable to much more resource-demanding rules such as an…

This article discusses some strategies and principles of intervention that will lead to a more effective group behavior and enable the group to be proactive about improving its work. The author also discusses some of the common challenges and reliable interventions faced by a facilitator: (1) Redirect conversational altitudes; (2) Correct problems…