Seeks conditions that improve group performance on "hidden profiles." Finds that, among undergraduate student groups, group information sharing and decision-making effectiveness were higher in small groups with a low percentage of shared information, and lower when groups either were large or shared a high percentage of information.…

Investigated if there were differences between collaborative interactions of children trained to work together and those told to work together but not trained. Found that, compared to non-trained children, those in the trained groups were consistently more collaborative and helpful to each other as they tried to involve each other in the learning…

Describes how the teacher of a course in business communication for first-year students at a university in Turkey used group work and collaborative learning strategies to help students experience the value of working with others and develop intercultural communication skills. Notes that, at semester's end, 85% of students favored heterogeneous…

At a summer camp that introduces Japanese high school students to American culture, the authors learned the following basic principles underlying culturally responsive camp activities: sensitivity to cultural nuances in communication, deliberate and sequential processes, appreciation of one's own cultural biases, understanding perceived risks, and…

Adult participation in book discussion groups satisfies lifelong learning needs. The informal learning that takes place helps adults acquire self-knowledge and construct new meanings by connecting texts and life. (SK)

Presents a group project model focused on teaching the critical workplace skills of communication and group effectiveness. The model's stages are orientation, formation, cohesion, performance, evaluation, and dissolution. (SK)

Analyzes the behaviors of over 60 student groups in professional writing classes. Finds gender-related effects on collaboration: tendencies to stereotype men as technical experts and to self-segregate into gendered working teams. Suggests new perspectives on the role of gender for collaborative groups in professional writing classrooms. (PA)

Presents two studies that explore the connection between students' language use and how they participate in small-group science activities. Describes the range of language used by groups of students while working with materials in several elementary science classrooms. Examines how students use language in small groups to discuss, clarify, and…

Takes up a number of issues related to collaborative writing and co-authoring and reflects on their meaning. (TB)

Finds that, when adults talked about why they value their book club discussions, three themes emerged: the social aspect; the equality among club members; and the spirit of cooperation that infused the clubs. Notes that these themes suggest instructional strategies which may help teachers challenge the discourse patterns that characterize…

Explores the conditional nature of good and bad news while focusing on three topics: (1) the status of information as news according the participants in a conversation; (2) the valence of this information with regard to its perception as good or bad; and (3) the effect of news on individuals. Notes that good news is privileged over bad news in…

Argues that the key distinction of a situated approach to studying intelligent behavior is not the method used but the focus of the investigation, specifically the unit of analysis. Discusses contemporary approaches to assessment, collaborative problem solving as an assessment context, situated assessment, intentional dynamics, and interaction as…

Drawing on culture and site-based curriculum development theories, this case study examines a mathematics curriculum committee's normative group interests and their effects on group process and the resultant curriculum document. Data analysis uncovered stakeholders' interests in professional development, accountability, and group process. Interest…

Four studies of undergraduates were conducted to assess the relative importance of quality and quantity as goals of brainstorming. Participants (n=65) believed it was more important to produce creative and high-quality ideas than to generate many ideas and believed brainstorming would enhance the quality of others' ideas (n=109). (Author/CR)

Discussion of small-group interaction and communication focuses on a study of professional librarians that tested Hirokawa's Vigilant Interaction Theory which maintains that group interaction affects decision-making performance by directly shaping the quality of vigilance that leads to a final choice. (Author/LRW)