To address the lack of research focusing on naturally occurring groups within an organizational context, a study examined the selection process and criteria that individuals use when allowed to self-select members for task groups. Subjects, 248 students enrolled in a basic communication course at a midwestern university, self-selected themselves…

This paper explores the National Writing Project model as it relates to enhancing the professionalism of teachers. It traces the historical development of the National Writing Project (NWP). describes the practices of the NWP summer institutes, and provides an analysis of teachers' satisfaction with their experiences in the summer institutes.…

Supplementing a national survey of self-help group members, a study examined the functioning of an epilepsy self-help group in order to identify communication patterns establishing mutual aid. An examination of eight tape-recorded sessions was combined with an observer's field notes to develop a profile of the group. Analysis revealed a loosely…

This document proposes the adoption of a rules-based theoretical perspective for the study of family interaction. In the first section, Logical and Empirical Requirements, concepts and basic assumptions pertinent to rules theory are considered. The concepts of coordination and determinacy, as used in a rules framework, are explained, and logical…

Wilderness Adventure, an Elderhostel course sponsored by Unity College in Maine, gives people over 60 the challenge of living and traveling in a remote wilderness environment. Each course consists of four days of canoeing and a day of rappelling in northern Maine. The program attempts to provide older adults with a personal growth experience via…

Educators are always dealing with subcultures, whether or not they are labeled as such. The distinguishing elements of a subculture are the values behind observable cultural traits. Each person belongs to one or more subcultures, and the values ascribed either by the subculture to itself or by the greater culture to that subset have continual…

This study investigated the effects on group performance of both the promotion origin of new leaders (from within the group or brought in from the outside) and the reassignment of the former leader (either remaining with or leaving the group). Using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) moon survival exercise, same-sex groups of…

Since teams perform a majority of mission-critical Navy tasks, a significant applied research problem is how to compose maximally effective task teams. Two problems have traditionally hindered the attainment of this goal: how to compose teams on bases other than ability or technical skill and how to classify team tasks, so that predictions can be…

A study was conducted to examine the relationship between the amount of conflict in a group decision-making process and the achievement of a quality decision. A task problem given to 33 college students completing a group symposium assignment in a basic public speaking and discussion course called for subjects to choose three possible topics for a…

The concept of a functional "we" in a school setting and the idea that people who make up a school community relate school experiences and interpret school phenomena in the form of organizational "stories" provide the theoretical bases for a model to initiate strategies for school development and improvement. The functional "we" concept refers to…

Noting that social interaction theory has long been characterized by a plethora of divergent research studies in search of an organizing paradigm, and that a common failing of most social interaction research has been its focus on process or change in relationships, the first part of this paper specifies the major limiting, or boundary, conditions…

Rural communities have traditionally been overshadowed by urban centers, thus losing the political clout necessary for adequate rural social service program development/delivery. Social service delivery in rural areas is complicated by lack of power and organization and represents a complex interplay among values, beliefs, social organization,…

A mathematical model that describes attitude change in human communication networks is developed in this paper. The parameters of the model are drawn from a review of the literature related to network analysis, small group influence, mass communication, and attitude change. The literature review identifies key variables that influence attitude…

Group communication and processes may be affected by differing cultural and racial backgrounds of group members. To assess these influences and to evaluate course offerings in group dynamics, six foreign and non-white student participants in the Group Practicum at Columbia University were interviewed individually for 1 hour. To balance the…

This report reviews existing studies of the determinants of group performance in an attempt to understand how personnel characteristics of units affect the effectiveness and efficiency with which those units perform their missions. As defined for this project, unit performance is the aggregate behavior of personnel in a unit. This review provides…