Examined the effects of group loyalty and distortion tendencies during a nominal grouping exercise involving 42 members of a management team in a decision-making seminar, divided into 5 groups to generate ideas on developing a program of flextime scheduling. Results showed distortion of judgment resulting from in-group loyalty in both…

Describes a collaborative writing assignment which features a series of interconnected business messages arising out of a case study and including inhouse memos and an analytical report. Shows how the design of a collaborative writing assignment can foster creative rather than debilitative tension. (RS)

Issues-oriented public policy education should (1) address audiences at three levels (individuals and families, agencies and businesses, and government); (2) help communities move through the policy-making process to achieve resolution; and (3) provide a combination of technical information and help with the process (leadership, group dynamics,…

Two major contradictions found in the "Deakin view" of action research are identified and discussed. These contradictions are characterized by the tension between individual and cultural/collective action in action research; and the tension between technical and practical conceptions and culturally based conceptions of the nature of…

Discusses ways in which administrators can deal with conflict. Strategies for encouraging healthy conflict and discouraging unhealthy conflict are considered. (RJC)

Reports findings of a small-scale study on middle school students' use of interactive videodisc. Types of learning activities in which the ability-grouped pupils engaged are identified, the proportion of time spent on each activity is shown, and the dynamics of group process are discussed. (eight references) (Author/LRW)

Studied joint decision-making strategies of small task group (N=8) over 15-month period. Found 4 problem areas contributing to lack of productivity: expertise, self-oriented needs, permissive operating procedures, and formal status differences. Results suggest important differences between group participants' desire to use participatory strategies…

Teachers can nominate parents who have a variety of political and demographic characteristics to serve on school advisory committees. Administrators who have knowledge of group dynamics and of how adults learn will help committees succeed. Outlines basic principles for effective meetings. (MLF)

Tested hypotheses that clients' perceptions of therapeutic factors depend on the stage of group development and on client individual difference variables, using critical incident reports obtained from 18 participants in three 11-session counseling groups. Results indicated differences in relative importance of therapeutic factors as seen by group…

The article provides practical information and techniques for effectively using creative problem-solving. Six stages of problem solving, with both convergent and divergent thinking phases, are discussed. Also discussed are equipment, time frames, and environmental requirements for creative problem-solving sessions. Sample exercises are offered.…

Investigates the decision-reaching behavior of 120 children aged 7, 9, and 11 years in mixed-age groups. Children of nine years in groups with younger peers exhibited more organization statements, solicitations of preference, group choice suggestions, and reading, and less following, than did nine-year-olds grouped with older peers. (RJC)

The advantages and disadvantages of the use of the oral interview and role-playing to assess communicative competence are outlined. The interview is criticized and deemed an inappropriate form of testing, and it is proposed that role-playing allows better assessment of sociolinguistic competence. Group interaction is suggested as providing another…

With collaborative learning, the professor no longer acts like an expert dispensing knowledge to passive students. The professor becomes "a guide, rather than an authority figure." Undergraduates are used as teaching assistants, peer tutors, and members of research teams. (MLW)

Tests a model of the factors that influence groups to follow various paths as they make decisions. Uses three panels of contingency variables to predict properties of the group's developmental path. Finds that group decision paths and their properties can be predicted as a function of task and relational contingencies. (MS)

This article examines the teacher's contribution to the indirect effect that within-classroom grouping has on student achievement. Two distinct types of groups (ability groups and peer work-groups) are discussed and recommendations made for effective use of within-class grouping. (IAH)