To improve the quality of undergraduate education, the Boyer Commission recommended a culminating, senior capstone course experience to help students draw together their undergraduate curriculum. One way to accomplish this culmination is through a student-designed and implemented community service project within the capstone course. In this…

This paper analyses a sample of online discussions to evaluate the development of adult learners as reflective practitioners within a networked learning community. The context for our study is a blended learning course offering post-experience professional training to non-traditional university students. These students are parents and carers of…

In this study, we examined the effects of sweat therapy on group dynamics and affect. Sweat therapy is the combination of intense heat exposure with psychotherapy or counseling (Colmant & Merta, 1999; 2000). Twenty-four undergraduates were separated by sex and randomly assigned to eight sessions of either a sweat or non-sweat group counseling…

This article is about a training project run by Central England People First (CEPF). CEPF has been doing workshops, conferences and other training for over 10 years. It seemed like a good idea to help other people with learning difficulties to learn how to be trainers. This would help them to speak out about their lives and the services they want.…

The contact hypothesis proposes that interaction between members of different groups reduces intergroup prejudice if--and only if--certain optimal conditions are present. For over 50 years, research using this framework has explored the boundary conditions for ideal contact and has guided interventions to promote desegregation. Although supporting…

This article examines the challenges of discussing deeply rooted notions of ability, intelligence, and tracking in teacher inquiry groups and offers suggestions to educators who want to begin dialogue about detracking at their schools. Specifically, this article underscores the importance of unpacking the terms tracking and detracking, exploring…

This study examined the definitional and statistical overlap among 4 key group therapeutic relationship constructs--group climate, cohesion, alliance, and empathy--across member-member, member-group, and member-leader relationships. Three multilevel structural equation models were tested using self-report measures completed by 662 participants…

Although most focus group theorists consider interaction to be a defining feature of focus groups, the influence that occurs through this interaction has been under-theorized. We argue that two important forms of influence may occur: influence on people's beliefs about the substantive issues under discussion and influence on self-efficacy beliefs.…

The purpose of this article is to present a supervision model applicable to group work. This model uses a 3 x 3 x 3 conceptual system that synthesizes concepts from the discrimination model and group systemic levels to provide a framework for supervisors of group workers in training. Discussion of the model includes considerations for group…

The goal of this study was to validate measures and assess the effects of collaborative group-learning methods in real classrooms on 3 specific dependent variables: feelings of campus connectedness, academic classroom community, and effective group processing (2 factors). Confirmatory factor analysis were conducted to evaluate a 4-factor model.…

While school bullying in Japan, Ijime, has been a topic of major public concern since the 1980s, few qualitative studies have been conducted to examine its nature and correlates. Through a case study of 30 ninth graders in a Japanese middle school, the study found that Ijime has complex group dynamics in its onset and process. The analysis of…

The present article presents conditions relating to the effective use of text-based computer conferencing for group interaction. More specifically, it discusses ways peers found in order to express themselves as members of on-line groups and if they were able to reach consensus during interaction. The findings of the research are based on…

In today's business world, the ability to work efficiently and effectively with others in a group is a mandatory skill. Many employers rank "ability to work with a group" as one of the most important attributes for business school graduates to possess. Therefore, it is important for instructors to understand the factors that influence group…

This paper describes how gestures are used to enhance scaffolding that occurs in small group settings. Sixth and eighth grade students participated in an elective science course focused on earth science concepts with a substantial spatial visualization component. Gestures that students used in small group discussions were analyzed and four…

For educators to be successful in teaching students to step up and become tomorrow's innovators, they must become innovators themselves. Enter school leadership. This article provides 10 practical steps any superintendent, principal, or other administrator can take to help make that happen: (1) Go on record; (2) Model innovation; (3) Pollinate;…