In a group situation, something goes wrong but no individual feels personal responsibility. This is called the "pie" phenomenon because everybody has a piece of the action, but all believe they are innocent. Each contributes to contagion and chaos but all say, "We didn't do nothing." In this article, the author, a pioneer in work with troubled…

Results of a case study designed to test the hypothesis that acting-out students would exhibit less disruptive behavior when grouped with "well-behaved" peers than when grouped with disruptive peers indicated that placement with well-behaved peers significantly reduced disruptive behavior, suggesting that grouping is an effective and nonintrusive…

Although the study of delinquency has previously focused on identifying individual, family, peer, and social risk and protective factors, little empirical research has studied cultural factors and their relations to delinquency. In a large community sample of 329 Chinese, Cambodian, Laotian/Mien, and Vietnamese youths, individualism was positively…

Relationships among teachers, exceptional children, and their peers should be considered when determining causes of misbehavior and the strategies to correct them. Checklists outline possible teacher and student behaviors which contribute to student misbehavior, and such interventions as independent, dependent, and interdependent group…

Highlights the importance of the dynamics of the learner group in shaping the second language (L2) learning process, and overviews the most relevant aspects of classroom dynamics. Argues that group characteristics and processes affect any success or failure in the L2 classroom and that teachers could benefit from an awareness of the principles of…

Describes an in-class exercise using students' discussion of their answers on a multiple choice test to demonstrate the powerful effects and pervasiveness of social influence. After a brief multiple choice test, students discuss their answers with their neighbors and then answer again. Similar response patterns emerge among the participants. (MJP)

Outlines four stages of group development in the classroom (Inclusion and Membership, Establishing Shared Influence and Collaborative Decision Making, Pursuing Individual and Academic Goals, Self-Renewal: Adapting to Changes), exercises to facilitate each stage, and the teacher's role throughout. (LC)