This study examined the nature of and events occurring in 10 Indian/Metis teacher education programs (9 Canadian, 1 Alaskan) which could contribute to the use or development of student peer group support. Information was sought about opportunity to interact as a program/class group, events which enhance Indian/Metis identity, program components…

The importance of school organization and its impact on teachers' commitment to staff development has been highlighted in recent research. In schools that are favorably disposed toward staff development, the norms of "collegiality" and "experimentation" prevail. Staff practices fundamental to the creation and maintenance of the…

This paper reports on an investigation of the interdependent relationship between ecological classroom dimensions and kindergarten students' task-related classroom behaviors, studied independently of personalities or age-group generalizations. Major purposes of the study were: (1) to identify and describe the main action structures observed in the…

Based on experiential learning models for improvement of individual behavior and teamwork effectiveness, this handbook is designed to assist personnel in the Veterans Administration (VA) health delivery system with interpersonnel processes that will improve organizational effectiveness. Chapter 1 contains background information concerning the…

To assist North Carolina Outward Bound School instructors in their responsibilities of ensuring that each student is able to achieve safely the objectives of developing self-confidence, concern for others, and self-awareness when confronted by 21 to 28 days of challenging, shared experience involving service and adventure, this revised fourth…

This study explored the importance of group interaction for learning. It investigated: (1) the relationship between group interaction and achievement, and whether this relationship was constant across ability levels; and (2) the importance of ability, extroversion-introversion, and group composition as predictors of group interaction. The sample…

Most research on small group learning has focused on achievement, but few studies have systematically investigated the effects of group processes on achievement, or the influences of individual aptitudes and group composition on group processes. To investigate the relationship between student aptitudes, group process, and achievement in…

Self-formulating study-groups, comprised of teachers voluntarily meeting with consultant leaders, are used in Denmark as an effective tool for identifying and discussing relevant problems and developing action programs. The general educational approach employed in self-formulating study-groups includes a problem orientation related to the…

The organizational climate of Southeast Missouri State University was assessed as part of an institutional self-study, and the appropriateness and effectiveness of the research instrument were evaluated. Twenty-five characteristics identified by Likert (1961, 1967) as descriptive of highly effective work groups were used as a framework for the…

Eleven years after the end of the height of protest on college and university campuses, it is important to try to understand what the student protest movement was all about, how it came to be, how and why it ended, and what will happen next. Through intimate case studies of takeovers at various universities, the dynamics of that era are examined.…

This paper reports on a study of the components of political leadership and emphasizes problems of women in attaining positions of political leadership. The authors use the term political leadership to describe the decision-making mechanism within organizations. First they review their survey of the personnel of a large organization. Respondents…

The Hawaii Bound School seeks to provide a significant physical and emotional wilderness experience to those participating in its course. For 24 days a group of 12 students live together and are exposed to a wide variety of wilderness experiences. Among the places visited are the Kohala Mountains, Mauna Loa, Ka'u Desert, and the ocean itself.…

The development process in two communities, a mining county in rural Appalachia and a deteriorating neighborhood in a northern industrial city, is presented in case-study form. Concepts and commonly used terms are defined; a process of development is identified that can be used in groups small enough to permit attention to the growth of persons.…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 15 titles deal with the following topics: the rhetorical dimensions of nondiscursive, fragmentary communication; perceptions of persuasion situations and the question of transituational consistency of behavior; alcohol use and…

Although the Southeast Asian refugees are regularly referred to only as Vietnamese, many are Cambodians, people different from the Vietnamese. It is true that Asian people have much more in common with one another than they have in common with non-Asians. While there are many attitudes and manners which Vietnamese and Cambodians share resulting…