Noting that brainstorming remains a very popular means of idea generation despite considerable research evidence to the contrary, this paper attempts to debunk the brainstorming myth by first critically reviewing the claims advocating brainstorming and the data supporting these claims. The paper discusses the social science research relevant to…

Contemporary reform in mathematics education emphasizes interaction among students as a source of learning. There are several insights that sociological theory and research can supply to researchers, staff developers, and curriculum developers in mathematics education who are using small groups. This paper investigates four questions concerning…

The goal of this book is to describe the knowledge base and skills that are necessary for advisers of student organizations. A foundation of basic concepts about college students, student groups, and organizations is provided; the general knowledge that advisors routinely use is detailed, and specific issues that will recur in various contexts are…

This book presents a developmental model for peer helping which places less emphasis on students in crises and more emphasis on helping them in advance of serious problems. The first chapter introduces peer helping and the facilitative model and provides an overview of the book. The second chapter discusses principles of human behavior. The third…

This study examined a social-organizational hypothesis that explains how silent reading in small-group lessons might influence students' learning. One hundred children in four third-grade classes, each divided into three ability groups, received two silent and two oral reading lessons. Group dynamics were measured from videotapes of the lessons.…

Created in response to requests from organizations across the country that wanted help in establishing teams for many purposes, this guide is an easy-to-use recipe book on the essential areas of teaming. It does not cover all the aspects of teaming, but focusses on the essential components of team development necessary for a team to function. The…

In today's workplace, organizations are moving from top-down, hierarchical decision making to team decisions based on consensus. This guide offers advice on setting the stage for team consensus to grow and on establishing an environment that fosters consensus. Topics of the four sections, the components of full consensus, are: (1) "Purposeful…

Extension educators can benefit from using a variety of styles when participating in learning and problem-solving coalitions. The first section of this paper describes nine stages of the coalition-building process, which can be grouped into three phases. In the emergence phase, issues and concerns have heated up and risen to the surface, and…

This conference proceedings report includes papers submitted by 19 presenters addressing current trends, critical issues, and emerging perspectives. Titles of the papers are as follows: (1) "Envisioning Your Own Destiny: The Case for Strategic Planning in the Park and Recreation Movement" (H. Gray, D. McLean, and E. Crook); (2)…

A study investigated how the attribution of a problem solution to an individual or group affects the consumer's perception of the solution's quality. Based on the tendency to support group decision-making (Hydra phenomenon) it was predicted that decisions attributed to groups would be perceived as higher in quality than those made by individuals,…

This article describes a study done to compare, quantitatively and qualitatively, the problem-solving and decision-making performance of four populations: business administration students, middle managers, elementary school teachers and elementary and secondary school principals. Results show business administration students and middle managers…

Relates a study designed to measure the extent to which trust-destroying communication affects verbal fluency of members in small group discussions. (MH)

The present study, looking at seven t-groups, examines relationships between members' interpersonal needs for control and affection, on the one hand, and their evaluative attitudes toward the trainer and the group as a whole, on the other, at early and later time points in the course of group formation. (Author)

The author defines gestalt awareness and discusses its importance in counseling. Several training procedures to enhance awareness in individuals are described. (SE)