The advantages and disadvantages of laws mandating openness in decision-making are outlined, and their particular relevance in the case of collegial decision-making is discussed. (MSE)

Eight high- and low-status nonhandicapped students ages 7-10 (N=8) were taught to direct social initiations to eight severely handicapped students during recess. Interactions of the high-status students resulted in higher levels of initiations by nontrained peers toward the handicapped students than did interactions of low-status students.…

Describes the group-building process used in the Prairie Writing Project programs. Provides specific guidelines for implementing group work in inservice teacher workshops and in the classroom. Claims that preparatory group-building techniques promote more effective group work. (MM)

Describes a study that used fifty-four 10th grade social studies students to investigate the effect of positive goal interdependence and positive goal and positive reward interdependence on achievement. Results indicated that cooperation promoted higher achievement than competition and that both positive goal and reward interdependence are needed…

Describes the development of an "executive game" which is designed to give students of civil engineering some impression of the wider context of the design of a building project in which the client, architect, contractor, regulatory authorities and community interest groups all play a part. (CW)

Assessed group leaders' styles and predicted outcomes in five human relations training groups. Assessed participants' gains from changes in self-esteem and social sensitivity. Results showed two distinct types of group experience. Findings suggest that focus of intervention and pattern of communication among members can have significant effect on…

Most existing studies of pupil-pupil interactions in special education have been psychology-based and have not considered the significance of students' social background. An ethnographic study examined the attitudes of academic and remedial British secondary students toward handicapped or otherwise deviant students. Results raised questions about…

Examines how six "sway" students, that is, students who have learned how to interact verbally with the teacher in a foreign language, affected the organization of interaction and language development in a high school Spanish class. The effect was that they allowed the teacher to progress effectively through the lesson. (Author/SED)

Using the ethnomethodological and conversation-analytic perspectives, this study points out some directions for the sociological and linguistic analyses of simulation-games based on inspection of video-recordings of actual examples of second language learner game participation. (Author/SED)

Describes the characteristics and behavior of three kinds of peer groups in the composition classroom. Discusses some of the difficulties these groups encounter in their critiquing, and some suggestions for improving the dynamics of the less successful groups. (HTH)

Argues that philosophical, programmatic, and curricular features of gifted education programs can and should "spill over" to improve general education; outlines means of preparing for and initiating such "spillovers." (MCG)

The behavior of 19 decision-making groups provided the basis for a model of the development of norms in newly formed groups. Data from the decision-making groups are used to illustrate the model, and implications for related research domains are discussed. Appended are 39 references. (MLF)

In placement decisions necessitated by PL 94-142, the multidimensional team approach may be hindered by group problems. The more structured nominal group technique (NGT) is suggested. NGT has six steps: silent, written generation of ideas; round robin reporting; group discussion for clarification; preliminary priority vote; discussion; and final…

Describes and analyzes the search conference--a participatory planning methodology--by exploring its roots in direct realism and characterizing it as a theory-building activity. Develops a classification matrix based on the nature of the task (problem solving or futures creative) and type of system (organizations, communities, ecologies,…

Describes the effect the teaching of a unit on contemporary folklore had on a high school English teacher and her students. Suggests that within each student is a wealth of untapped information that can be used as a basis from which to explore different kinds of writing and which can lead to new ways of looking at literature. (RBW)