In order to study the effects of cognitive style, task structure, and task setting on student achievement and attitudes, structured and unstructured tasks were presented to students in both group and individual settings. It was postulated that through small group and individual activities an individual may display his/her best cognitive style of…

A review of the literature on cooperative, competitive, and independent reward structures and performance is presented, and conclusions are drawn which reformulate current beliefs about the interaction between reward structure and task structure. A brief theory of reward structure and performance is described, and conditions under which…

This manual is intended primarily for use by small groups that must accomplish tasks within specified periods of time. Chapters, directed toward groups in business, industry, education, religious organizations, politics, government, or virtually any situation where a cooperative effort is required, discuss the following areas: group work as…

Strain theory, which is widely criticized, presumes a negative relationship between social class and delinquency. The theory is strengthened with the following variables added to the analysis: (1) grade level, (2) social status, (3) achievement, (4) absences and dropout frequency, and (5) tracking. The paradigm of collective behavior may also be…

Student activities programs are usually dependent on teams of students and advisers. Theory, potential outcomes, basic steps, and resources for team-building are introduced, and improving output potential, basic steps in team-building, and giving and receiving feedback are discussed. (MLW)

Research in educational administration needs a coherent empirical base for a comprehensive, ecologically valid theory of administration. This paper describes Roger Barker's Behavior Setting Theory and promotes it as a broad-based conceptual framework for research on educational administration. (Author/TE)

Many children with emotional and behavioural difficulties behave well in a one-to-one situation with an adult. It is when they are in a group with their peers that their behaviour deteriorates dramatically. The more teachers understand about group dynamics, the better equipped they will be to support children who find such skills as turn-taking…

The social and collective aspect in human activities has become one of the main issues in Vygotskian analyses of learning and development. The study assumed that this aspect presupposes some feeling of belonging together and having a shared commitment on the part of the participants. Asserting that relatively little attention has been given to…

Investigates the impact of interpersonal relationships on decision-making success in small groups using a business simulation game as a research vehicle. The study concludes that group decision making may be unfavorably affected by personality conflicts. (Author/JJD)

Procedures used by the Eugene (Oregon) Public Schools to train staff members as organizational development specialists are described. School employees volunteer time to work as internal consultants, using organizational management concepts to help colleagues in the school system improve their organizational capabilities, interact effectively,…

Findings suggest, among others, that argumentativeness is an important variable in the perception of leadership, with the highly argumentative individual chosen leader over the moderate or mildly argumentative individual. Highly argumentative individuals were also rated as more influential on the group's decision. (PD)

Focuses on personality as a predispositional factor which is predictive of the direction of both persuasive argumentation by group members and, subsequently, decision shifting. Tends to validate the value theory of polarization by showing that persuasive argumentation can mediate the effect of personality on decisional shifting. (PD)