Collaborative learning is something that all students will employ once they finish their formal education, and while it isn't something that can be objectively tested by standardized exams, it is something that can be taught. Learning to work in groups is simultaneously a way of learning and a skill worth learning. Teachers should acknowledge that…

Groups with a strong sense of collective efficacy set more challenging goals, persist in the face of difficulty, and are ultimately more likely to succeed than groups who do not share this belief. Given the many advantages that may accrue to groups who are confident, it would be logical to advise groups to build a high level of collective efficacy…

The basketball players sit in a corner of the cafeteria. The rockers hang out near the stage. The ditchers and smokers congregate near the school gates. The JV football players and cheerleaders? They're near the field. This is how students at California's Hawthorne High described the typical lunch period at their school. In doing so, they also…

In this landmark book, Scott Page redefines the way we understand ourselves in relation to one another. "The Difference" is about how we think in groups--and how our collective wisdom exceeds the sum of its parts. Why can teams of people find better solutions than brilliant individuals working alone? And why are the best group decisions…

The first course in group work was taught in 1923 and was followed by a growing recognition in social work education of the importance of preparing students to work with groups. Unfortunately by the end of the 1970s group work located within a generalist curriculum had all but disappeared. This article presents a single course elective that…

Examined relationship between group members' (N=36) approach to group sessions and group session climate and relationship between length of time in group and agenda quality. Found average ratings of interpersonal and here-and-now dimensions of agendas were significantly related to average perception of group climate as more engaged and less…

Argues importance of communication for group decision-making performance and its impact on such performance are function of three task characteristics: structure, information requirement, and evaluation demand. Identifies task circumstances in which group communication can be expected to play role in determining decision-making performance, as…

Criticisms of confrontation groups are: (1) excessive anti-intellectualism; (2) neglect of phenomenon that experience can bring about worse as well as better adjustment; (3) labeling activities as group dynamics but transforming process into group therapy; and (4) reluctance of leaders to accept responsibility for their actions and inactions.…

Examines proposition that covert roles within a group are assigned to individual group members based on their propensity to verbally or nonverbally express certain patterns of unwanted, disowned, and projected emotions that are experienced as threatening by other members. Focuses on articulating a model, describing a method, and presenting…

This report contains abstracts of 20 selected research studies related to individuals working as a group to achieve a goal. Each abstract consists of these components: author(s) or researcher(s); title; source (journal citation); purpose of the research; participants; method; results; and discussion. In general, the studies show that working in…

Time-extended groups provide the following: (1) they ease the need to get things started immediately, (2) they provide the opportunity for interaction to be carried to its natural end-point, (3) they allow a greater range of techniques to be experienced by members, (4) they increase the chances for therapeutic contact, (5) they allow participants…

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 pamphlet on parliamentary procedure is the fifteenth of 16 in a series to provide leaders in adult activities with sound introductory material to give practical help in using a method of adult education or working in a particular area. Its objective is to help organizational leaders use parliamentary procedure to further the educative process…

The stimulus value of group boundaries was investigated in a field experiment. It was hypothesized that the size of a group and the status of its members would reduce the permeability of a boundary around an interacting group. Two or 4 interacting people of high or low status interrupted the traffic flow in a university hallway. Results indicate…

This paper focuses on a comparison of two models, with special attention to the ways in which authority and peer relations are viewed. The need for theoretical and technical amalgamation to advance our understanding of group phenomena is stressed. A comment by James Crowfoot, University of Michigan follows. (Author)