This two-volume set offers 16 narrative case studies and a facilitator's guide. Cases were written by teachers about their personal experiences with teaching and groupwork, especially the problematic situations and dilemmas they faced. Groupwork is a well-documented and highly recommended strategy for enhancing students' academic, cognitive,…

This paper is based on a reexamination of data from implementation in 1993-94 of the "Connections" program, a voluntary interdisciplinary program option for ninth-grade students in Cedar City (Ohio). Data gathered from the four teachers (representing English, Physical Science, World History, and Learning Disabilities) and 80 students (including 10…

Conditions that foster and hinder participatory research are examined, using examples from one such research project aimed at dropout reduction undertaken with students in a "last chance" high school. The 13 student researchers sometimes used racial, gender, and social class differences to gain power and display undemocratic behavior within the…

A case study was used in an instructional design class to facilitate the transfer of conceptual knowledge to concrete concerns and to aid instructional technology graduate students' understanding of the steps involved in designing, analyzing, and implementing an effective needs analysis. The case study involved real events at fictitious company…

This paper defines a spiritual youth camp as a consciousness raising group. The camp, founded in 1956 as a community church camp, has been independent of any religious denomination since disassociating from the founding community church in 1986. Communication processes are described as they relate to primary aspects of the camp experience. Primary…

Foremost among many recent trends in education has been a surge of interest in small group instruction. Questions remain concerning the relative educational value of small group computer assisted instruction (CAI) or CBT (broadly defined as instructional use of computers). This paper presents the results of an investigation of 55 works on this…

This book describes issues, trends, and practical teaching concerns that surround cooperative learning. It puts forward specific organizational plans and content area lessons for teachers who would like to become more familiar with active team learning in the classroom. Major themes include collaborative approaches to multicultural education,…

This study evaluated the training in conflict resolution (CR) and cooperative learning (CL) of about 180 students in an alternative high school (AHS) in New York City. The qualitative methodology included direct observations of students' daily routines, systematic observations of special events, and interviews with key faculty and staff members.…

An "applied folklore" study investigated the value of certain aspects of folklore theory in an effort to upgrade teaching effectiveness. A case study approach was used to determine if the concept of labeling perspective, as adapted and advanced by folklorist Patrick B. Mullen (1988), could provide useful insights when applied to local…

A collection of works concerning classroom research methodology, learner strategies and variables, teacher speech, teacher and learner feedback, and second language classroom communication has been compiled. It includes: "What Is Classroom Oriented Research?" (Herbert W. Seliger and Michael H. Long); "Inside the 'Black Box': Methodological Issues…

Troop ideology as defined by the scoutmaster and other involved adults radically altered the learning experiences of boys in two Boy Scout troops, even though both adhered to the official program. Using observation and interviews, researchers studied all aspects of the troops over 7 months. One troop, whose scoutmaster was benevolent and…

Participatory management (PM) is discussed in this step-by-step guide that shows how PM can be made to work effectively on a daily basis in academe. Suggestions are offered for helping higher education administrators consult efficiently with representatives of campus groups--faculty, other administrators, advisory board members, policy council…

This early childhood curriculum study focused on the practical understandings that teachers held about their classroom experiences, as a way of gaining access to the dynamics of curriculum implementation and innovation. Two problems were addressed: (1) the lack of knowledge about the dynamics of curriculum implementation in settings where early…

This module is designed to help prospective school counselors expand their understanding of group process, examine their own attitudes and behaviors in groups, and learn components for facilitating small group process with self/career development themes. The module begins with a short review of research on effective counselors and a brief…

In English as a second language/English as a foreign language classrooms where teacher-fronted instruction is still the norm, small group work tends to be avoided because conversational activities among nonnative speakers are generally thought to be of little use. The validity of small-group work among nonnative speakers is defended with both…