Investigates the influence of socio-affective context on the interactive modalities surrounding problem-solving discussions conducted with 8-year-old children. Results suggests that reciprocal friendship facilitates collaboration and the organization of collective work. Discusses two rival hypotheses of socio-affective proximity and…

The use of weekly exchange of journal letters between a group leader and group members in a graduate course in group counseling is described as a way of teaching counseling students about group process and group leadership. Excerpts from letters of both the leader and group members are presented as illustrative examples of the concepts being…

Provides insights into the design of effective educational planning conversations derived from the metaphor of enthalpy (the amount of heat energy released when chemical reactions occur). Interprets enthalpy changes in the context of energy and the dynamics necessary to sustain an effective systems design conversation. (AEF)

States that the contrast of face-to-face communication with computer-mediated communication (CMC), either experimentally or experientially, may be a valuable way for teaching group dynamics and group decision making in educational settings. Suggests several ways to facilitate the use of CMC in single-session experimental and experiential…

Trends in the provision of mental health services have generated greater interests in brief group counseling. Offers one perspective for the integration of solution-oriented theory and techniques into counseling. (Author)

Examines ways business and cultural frames of reference affect decision making in multicultural groups. Finds students' reactions to two class activities shows how "groupthink" arose in both exercises; cultural interference paralyzed group decision making in one group; and cultural interference demonstrated the importance of a cultural…

Examines the effects of process structuration by means of a training video on maintenance behavior and outcomes in 55 student virtual decision-making groups. Finds that trained groups had higher levels of social support, greater participation rates, and greater satisfaction with the group; wasted less time and energy; and made significantly more…

Draws on data from three Head Start programs to examine how "culture" influences program improvement. Shows how culture takes shape through dynamic interactions in particular contexts, constituting identities, structuring social relationships, and privileging particular forms of knowledge. Highlights the importance of illuminating forces…

A case study of the impact of video technology on surgical work identified technological foundations of two structures in decentralized work units. Unilateral control by a dominant actor in a team works best with segmented tasks and face-to-face context. Teams with group-based coordination work best when team actions involve complex…

A multicultural adaptation of Hanson's original group process observation guidelines is presented. Several multicultural sensitizer items are added to each original process observation category. A system for processing and discussing these expanded observations within a fishbowl design is detailed. Experimentation with these sensitizers in a…

Provides information regarding rationale, objectives, format, and insights from a women's psychotherapy group where self-hypnosis and working in trance were major components. The group was designed to promote emotional, psychological, and physiological healing, and to facilitate women in learning how to give and receive nurturing. Describes…

Discusses Tikkun Olam--the Jewish tenet of healing the world through individual good deeds--and its applicability to the practice of adventure therapy. Focuses on the therapeutic relationship, as it develops in group settings, and the role of adventure leaders and therapists in nourishing such relationships to provide a vehicle for healing or…

Explores the wilderness expedition from an anthropological perspective as a personal rite of passage involving rituals created by the group, an intense sense of community, strengthened individual identity, and connection to the natural environment. Includes participants' descriptions of the revelations they experienced and of the expedition as a…

The author discusses how she became interested in teaching tolerance in her university-level writing course. The article highlights classroom dynamics and building experience with tolerance.(Author/VWL)

Describes how teachers can help children feel included, connected, and valued, explaining that the family is the child's first and most important group, and children learn the rules of social interaction from primary relationships with adults. As children play, they learn and formulate their own social rules. Teachers can provide structured,…