Cooperation in the classroom counteracts well-established routines and values that nearly all adults and many educators take for granted. Education remains a fiercely competitive enterprise, and individualistic notions of professionalism predominate. Despite the continued importance of independence, initiative, and personal achievement, today's…

This booklet is designed to encourage and assist parents in locating or starting a parent support group. It provides guidelines and suggestions for group formation and can serve as a resource guide for parent support groups. The eight sections of the booklet address the following topics: (1) the role of parent support groups; (2) definitions of a…

Examines patterns of oral communication in encounter groups and identifies three stages of group life: boundary-seeking, ambivalence and actualization. (MH)

Suggests college debate teams can be used to study small group communication. (CH)

Women have been believed to be peacemakers throughout the centuries. Whether this is biologically determined or a socially structured has been a matter of controversy. This study examined gender differences and the social dynamics of peace movement participation. Subjects (N=272) were members of a local nuclear freeze campaign in 1984.…

Competitive forensic teams should turn to their students for leadership. Such an approach gives students valuable experience in handling responsibility, while relieving school administrators of some of the tasks involved in debate competition. Since forensic students are intelligent and highly ambitious, they should be leaders of debate programs,…

This paper defines the eating disorders of anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and bulimia nervosa, a bulimic subtype of anorexia nervosa. The diagnosis of these disorders is discussed and similarities and differences among the three disorders are reviewed. Etiological factors are considered and current trends in treatment of anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and…

The Discovery Learning, Inc. (DLI) process of instruction is an instructional delivery system that combines presentations of ideas, subject matter, and classroom management in a dynamic setting. The first component of the model is a blending of directed dialogue instruction, participation-generating techniques, and innovative presentations of…

Many studies have examined group pressure and its effect on an individual. A study was undertaken to investigate the influence of a majority upon subjects and its effect upon long term memory. Undergraduate students (N=18) were selected and randomly assigned to either a treatment or control group. Each subject watched a 10-minute segment from a…

This annotated bibliography includes sources of information that are primarily concerned with problem solving, decision making, and processes of social influence in small groups, and secondarily deal with other aspects of communication and interaction in groups, such as conflict management and negotiation. The 57 entries, all dating from 1980…

This annotated bibliography on leadership, compiled to help individuals determine where to begin in the massive amount of published material on the subject, contains 52 entries dated from 1980 forward. The selections have been made with a view towards the needs of both those interested in the practical aspects of leadership and those who may have…

Six models for setting priorities are presented in a workbook format with exercises for evaluating or practicing five techniques. In the San Mateo model one sets priorities, clarifies priority purpose, lists items, determines criteria, lists items and criteria on a rating sheet, studies all information on items, rates each item, tallies results,…

Little experimental research exists concerning third party mediation. Possible dimensions for study are type of control, including outcome control (of the third party over negotiation outcomes) and process control (third party influence on the negotiation process); and type of intervention, i.e., process or issue oriented interventions. To examine…

Educational research indicates that instruction is more effective when students work in cooperative learning groups, rather than in situations where competition and individualistic learning are emphasized. Specific steps are provided in this guide to help teachers acquire the skills needed for cooperative learning. The five principles that…

Interest has recently focused on group polarization as a function of attitude processes. Several recent reviewers have challenged polarization researchers to integrate the explanations of polarization to existing theories of attitude change. This review suggests that there exists a clear similarity between the social comparison and persuasive…