This discussion is concerned with the rationale and method of the Woodard Outreach Group Model. Included is a description of some of the theoretical and strategic matters involved with this method of working with small groups. Examples are presented illustrating ways in which the model has been modified and used with success in a variety of…

This booklet, a discovery/work text, asks learners to take a careful look at the ways they participate in communication situations, at the form their participation in communication takes, and at the personal and societal consequences of communication. Laboratory activities focus on techniques of communication and on strategies for dealing with…

Chinese immigration to the United States, which began around 1850, sparked strong anti-Asian sentiment and legal and economic restrictions upon these immigrants. Although some Chinese organizations helped immigrants, the overall response of the Chinese to systematic oppression was one of meekness and compliance. The Japanese began to immigrate to…

In a longitudinal field experiment, 42 groups were assembled on the factors of individual ability and attitude similarity resulting in a 2 x 2 crossed ANOVA design. These groups then worked on six projects which spanned a three-month time period. For each project, measures of group performance and group cohesion were taken. Analyses showed that…

The idea of using groups, rather than individuals, as the basic building blocks for an organization is suggested in this paper. Although this idea is not new in theory, it is new in practice. To design an organization from scratch around groups appears to violate the American value of individualism. Groups, however, have advantages over…

This document presents six observation schedules designed to assist the teacher in discovering patterns in observed behaviors. Schedules provide a carefully defined focus through which patterned relationships are seen between behaviors performed by certain actors in various settings and contexts. Completion of these observation schedules should…

The Collaboration Model Project Council, at the University of Florida, represents an attempt to establish interinstitutional collaboration among (1) a university and two community colleges, (2) three county public school systems, (3) the teachers' associations of three counties, (4) community parents and citizens of three counties, and (5) college…

Social Conflict and Negotiative Problem Solving is an instructional system currently under development by the Improving Teaching Competencies Program (ITCP) of Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL). In accordance with the Resource Allocation Management Plan (RAMP, 1975) of ITCP, this report presents a plan of evaluation activities for…

The purpose of this essay was to propose a new explanation of collective behavior and to hypothesize the role of communication in this process. Unlike previous theories, which rely on a group effect, this explanation is based on the behavior of individual members of the collectivity. Using the experimental finding of the "risky shift,"…

In the process of developing a coherent bargaining position, the school board's chief negotiator functions as a group leader, responsible for controlling behavioral dynamics so that the school board is productive and cohesive. Dissonance and dissent are expected components of the position-formulating process, and the negotiator should be…

This monograph applies ideas from the field of role theory to the study of occupations, beginning with an historical overview of role theory concepts. The analysis of occupations is presented from both a group-centered and person-centered position. Within the group-centered analysis, organizations, work groups, and communities are discussed, and…

For some time, cultural anthropologists have attempted to explain regularities of behavior in large groups (nations, tribes, etc.) through a series of studies generally known as "national character" or "modal personality" studies. The investigation reported here attempts to adapt the "modal personality" approach to…

The aim of this study was to describe and analyze the nature of group work through a series of thirteen video taped classroom lessons for fourth grade students. Using a case approach technique, the emphasis was on methodological problems. The study showed that even the investigation of a single mode of instruction such as group work is a highly…

Recent investigations of the effects on group output of competitive contingencies, reward deliveries to group members contingent upon achieving a higher or lower task rate than another group, have suggested that competitive contingencies are a positive function of group output. When rewards are contingent upon a higher comparison outcome, group…

THIS INVESTIGATION WAS TO EXPLORE THE POSSIBLE INFLUENCES OF ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE AND ITS ELEMENTS (AS DEPICTED BY THE CENTRAL OFFICE ADMINISTRATIVE PERFORMANCE TEAMS IN SELECTED SCHOOL DISTRICTS OF THE STATE OF OHIO) ON THE INNOVATIVENESS OF A SCHOOL DISTRICT. THE "ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE DESCRIPTIVE QUESTIONNAIRE," WHICH SERVED AS THE…