Brainstorming may be the best-known tool for group idea generation and is widely taught in gifted and talented programs. Many empirical studies have been conducted regarding the effectiveness of brainstorming, and they have provided useful insights into the salient barriers facing groups who use this tool. Although a great deal of this literature…

Many interventions for children's behavior problems successfully utilize a group format for social skills training, providing opportunities for practice and performance feedback from peers. Recent studies however, suggest that grouping aggressive children together may reduce intervention effectiveness or even increase risk. The present study…

This paper proposes a set of methods and a framework for evaluating, modeling, and predicting group interactions in computer-mediated communication. The method of sequential analysis is described along with specific software tools and techniques to facilitate the analysis of message-response sequences. In addition, the Dialogic Theory and its…

This article describes the process and outcome of a qualitative exploration of group co-leader relationships over a 16-week period. Results from this investigation generated theoretical conceptualizations regarding how co-leaders experience and perceive their relationships as they lead groups. The descriptions of these co-leaders illuminated the…

With trust as its antecedent, social capital comprises the potential capacities of a people to prosper. Building on the presence of social capital, social cohesion involves the internalization of social ethics and constitutes the level of realized propensity among citizens to engage in virtuous behavior for the common good. This theory elaboration…

This chapter describes how engineering faculty and learning scientists developed a collective wisdom--shared language, capabilities, and world view--in order to work together to achieve a common goal of developing course materials in the domain of biomedical engineering. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)

In an information search model, evaluative concerns during intergroup interaction are conceptualized as a joint function of uncertainty regarding and importance attached to out-group members' views of oneself. High uncertainty generally fosters evaluative concerns during intergroup exchanges. Importance depends on whether out-group members'…

Interdisciplinary conversations are fast becoming a central feature of academic and intellectual life. In this article, the authors present the different perspectives of a literary scholar, a biologist, and a physicist, as well as the voices of other professionals in other disciplines who have worked together under the auspices of the six-year-old…

In their meta-analysis, Stage and Quiroz (1997) found that group-oriented contingencies yielded the largest effect size of interventions designed to reduce inappropriate behaviors in public schools. However, such procedures may be underutilized for enhancing academic performance and learning. The current article describes how interdependent…

As society grows more cooperative, the importance of finding emerging leaders has become incrasingly crucial. Not only should these potential leaders be identified, but their talents need the opportunity to develop. Leadership education continues to be a concern in gifted education but remains an abstract concept that is often ignored in school…

Whenever group work takes place, rules and norms are established by group members. Rules are typically written and formally stated by group members, whereas norms are more informal and are implicitly stated. But regardless of how rules and norms are established, they enable group members to develop procedures from which the group can function.…

This instructional note describes the process of rotating teacher participation in peer workshop groups and how this practice can enhance the workshop group dynamics, ease instructors' grading loads, and improve the level of peer feedback and draft revision in composition courses. (Contains 1 end note.)

Group work, group projects and collaborative learning encourage students to learn from other students as well as from the lecturer. Peer learning may involve cooperation, communication and the giving and receiving of peer feedback. In addition peer learning emphasises the sharing of knowledge and ideas between students in a reciprocal partnership.…

In many business courses, computer-based simulations are becoming a popular choice of pedagogical technique, yet research is only beginning to consider how these simulation games impact student outcomes. In this study, the author investigated individual perceptions of simulation team dynamics and their relationship to student affect regarding the…

There are challenges in doing any type of collaborative research. In fact, the very "culture of higher education" is one where status comes from individual accomplishments rather than from group success. This high value placed on individual achievement often leads to fostering a work environment where competition is fierce. This leads to questions…