Reports a study examining the use of group activities in 10 randomly selected English-language teaching coursebooks published since 1990. Results are discussed in light of theory and research on cooperative learning; task-based language teaching; and the roles of learners, teachers, and coursebooks. (26 references) (Author/CK)

Studied the effect of content knowledge on learners' participation in interactions between nonnative speakers. Measures of participation included amount of talk, conversational fillers, back channels, topic moves, clarification questions, and confirmation and comprehension checks. Findings support the relationship between knowledge and…

Classroom discourse is evaluated for the contribution it can make to students' learning in groups. Data recorded from primary age children working at computers are categorized as exploratory, cumulative, and disputational talk. The teacher's role in making explicit strategies that optimize exploratory talk is discussed. (Contains 31 references.)…

The authors investigated the microlevel processes of collaborative reasoning in heterogeneous peer dyads working on an open-design task in elementary geometry. Special attention was paid to the nature of student social interaction, problem-solving strategies, and mathematical language and how they shape collaborative problem-solving processes.…

The old-fashioned focus on individuals as separate from their surroundings is no longer tenable. The papers in this edited volume are informed by the Group Relations model which was designed to help those providing services to children and adolescents to evaluate treatment programs and to make needed improvements. The chapters describe how a…

A study assessed the validity of applying the Spitzberg and Cupach dyadic model of communication competence to small group interaction. Twenty-four students, in five task-oriented work groups, completed questionnaires concerning self-competence, alter competence, interaction effectiveness, and other group members' interaction appropriateness. They…

A comparative analysis is presented of adolescent participation in three-person family problem-solving groups, involving five families with an adolescent diabetic and three families with an adolescent with no diagnosed illness. Observation and interaction analysis of family problem-solving in a laboratory setting were used, as families were asked…

The purpose of this study is to describe, document, and analyze the classroom management techniques an elementary school teacher uses to establish and maintain group norms. An analysis of the data collected for a teacher who used a group process approach to classroom management is presented. Two types of norms were observed operating in classroom…

THROUGH UNIVERSITY LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS, FIELD OBSERVATIONS IN INDUSTRIAL, COMMUNITY, AND EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS, AND EXPERIENCES IN CLASSES IN GROUP DYNAMICS, THE PARTICIPATIVE ACTION METHOD OF GROUP TRAINING FOR MORE EFFECTIVE PROBLEM SOLVING AND DECISION MAKING WAS DEVELOPED. IT IS BASED ON 8 PRINCIPLES--PHYSICAL REGROUPING, REDUCTION OF…

Research on mutual-aid groups has begun to examine reasons for joining and outcomes, but few investigations have focused on the processes of group development or interaction. The applicability of a therapy-group development model to student mutual-aid groups was examined to determine the extent to which specified formal group structure and…

The Groups for Psychological Education program presented in this Leader's Guide was designed to encourage the development of effective interpersonal skills and self-understanding of fourth, fifth, and sixth grade children through the use of small group sessions. The first three chapters of the guide describe the program and present some of the…

THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF THIS EXPERIMENT WAS TO DETERMINE WHETHER HIERARCHICALLY DIFFERENTIATED GROUPS WERE AS PRODUCTIVE ON PROBLEM-SOLVING TASKS AS HIERARCHICALLY UNDIFFERENTIATED GROUPS. THE EXPERIMENT ALSO INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS OF FORMALLY BASED STATUS DIFFERENCES ON GROUP EFFICIENCY AND RISK-TAKING. TWENTY GROUPS CONTAINING FOUR SUBJECTS…

The paper evaluates the use of group dynamics training for Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) aides in Ohio and assesses low income homemakers' adoption of group participation. The treatment group of aides was given week-long experimental group dynamics training which was coupled with nutrition and money management subject…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of cognitive abstractness levels, interpersonal perception abilities, and task type (factual or social problem solving) on group performance as measured by time consumed and adequacy of solutions. Eighteen college classes from Kearney State College participated in testing of perceptual…

The special concern of this manual is the improvement of working relationships among the members of a school's administration, faculty, and staff. Studies have indicated that for complex problems offering many alternatives, decisions produced by group interaction are usually far superior to decisions produced solely by individuals. To achieve…