Reports on the use of small group instruction in a college sociology course. Contends that teacher-assigned groups using students' perception of their level of knowledge on a topic is an effective strategy. Maintains this technique helps enrich class discussions and improves student understanding of course content. (CFR)

Discussion of the increase in student diversity among academic library employees focuses on management procedures when selecting, training, supervising, and evaluating a more diverse workforce. Orientation, the role of authority and power, and individual versus group affiliation are considered. (Author/LRW)

Discusses verbal strategies used by young children to express and construct a sense of togetherness. Presents the case study of one child, 3-5 years old, in his interactions with other children and teachers. Describes three general mechanisms for expressing togetherness: expression of common ground, of cooperation, and of care. (JPB)

Investigated preschool children's behavior during play, focusing on conflicts that occurred during leisure time and comparing differences between children from Andalusia and Holland. Found that Andalusian children showed a tendency to prioritize maintenance of the interaction above personal objectives; Dutch children showed a greater interest in…

This report describes a study which examined group-order managing skills used by early childhood student teachers in Taiwan, how these skills were used, and the level of student teacher satisfaction with these skills. Fifty-six student teachers from a 2-year training program at the National Taipei Teachers College completed an event-recording form…

This paper reports a study designed to examine the types of behaviors students exhibit while conducting laboratory activities and assess the effectiveness of strategies students employ. The sample was 42 students enrolled in a physics lab section at a single university. Three types of data were collected: (1) observational data during the lab…

Findings of a study that examined the relationship between classroom orientation and sociometric patterns within the classroom are presented in this paper. Methodology involved observation of 12 classrooms in Ontario and administration of two survey instruments to 20 fourth-year students. Classroom orientations were categorized as cooperative,…

Group identification is a major cause of religious, racial, and international conflict. Many forms of group identification are fantasy bonds, imagined connections with others offering security at the expense of individual self-realization. The fantasy bond forms in childhood in response to inadequate parenting. Human beings are not inherently…

This study delineates features of the planning and leadership talk of kindergartners involved in committee work done in small groups. Subjects were 66 kindergarten children in 3 classes of one teacher. Committees were composed of four or five students and met during a 10-month period across 2 school years. the tasks of the committees were to: (1)…

This study investigated William Schutz's three-dimensional theory of interpersonal behavior and compatibility (FIRO) to determine its validity as a group measure of compatibility. Data were collected from 248 students enrolled in a multi-section course in small group communications at a large midwestern university. Subjects self-selected…

The study described in this report investigated the effects of two context variables on small-group learning--namely, group size and group gender composition--within an adult learning framework. In the study, the "revolving circle" method was innovated. In this design, one group member is the center of the cooperative circle and all…

Examining the relationships among social motivations, media use, and levels of political knowledge, a study (1) measured the unique contribution of social motivations beyond simple exposure and individual motivations, (2) tested for interactions between social and individual motivations and public affairs exposure, and (3) examined the interactive…

This paper reviews some key ideas that have emerged from recent research into administrative practices in education and their relationship to organizational culture. "Culture" is defined as a system of knowledge and conceptions that members of an organization use for giving meaning to and coping with problems that they experience. The…

To investigate the influence of group settings on the receiver's perception of an inducement to rhetorical transactions, 45 undergraduates in a basic speech communication course were asked to rank from most important to least important a group of items that might help survivors of an arctic plane crash. After completing individual rankings,…

There are three general characteristics of a small group that merit analysis and application to a forensics squad: oral interaction, identification of a collectivity, and potential for unified action. Cohesive groups have a high energy level that is typically focused upon facilitation of productive group functioning. In order to develop and…