Part of a larger study of volunteerism, a consulting team of nine individuals worked in eight countries studying the words used to describe people who "volunteer." Consultants participating in the discussion represented Australia, Ecuador, the United States, Jamaica, Canada, Germany, Japan, and Spain. The goal of the overall study was to…

A study investigated the effectiveness of using a small-group discussion as the main vehicle for the construction of an initial representation of a problem that activates previously acquired knowledge. College students (N=39) were randomly assigned to either an experimental condition or a control condition and asked to brainstorm about a presented…

To provide a theoretical base for investigating the influence of inferential error on group decision making, current literature on both inferential error and decision making is reviewed and applied to the Watergate incident. Although groups tend to make fewer inferential errors because members' inferences are generally not biased in the same…

Six doctoral students evaluated an educational leadership program they were in by participating in a focus group simulation. The students were all enrolled in or auditing a qualitative research course at Northern Arizona University's Center for Excellence in Education (NAU/CEE). Prior to the simulation participants were given instructions on the…

This study is based on three sources: (1) an experimental try-out of four oral proficiency testing methods (oral interview, role play, reporting test, and group discussion); (2) an evaluation of the testing methods by a panel of experts; and (3) an analysis of the same testing methods by policy makers. The findings are reported in terms of the…

As most any high school or college English teacher can verify, it is the rare group of students that approaches the study of Shakespeare with anything other than a mixture of anxiety over the difficulty of making sense of the plays' language and annoyance that, once again, they will be forced to engage in an activity they find both unjustifiably…

The purpose of this exploratory experimental study was to examine how online cognitive facilitation that promotes cognitive presence, while keeping facilitator's social presence constant, affects student learning and satisfaction in an online community of inquiry. In this context, we explored the following questions: (1) Does online high cognitive…

Proceedings from the Sunbird Seminar for artists, art historians, and art educators from the California State University campuses are documented in this volume. The presentations included discussions about the national context for art education and teacher credentialing in California, the Snowbird projects sponsored by the Getty Center for…

Research suggests that observers of spouse abuse are likely to arrive at overly dispositional causal explanations for the abusive behavior, and reject both the abusing spouse and his victim. To examine observers' causal attributions and person perceptions under varying conditions, 160 college students read a vignette about an incident of spouse…

Twelve graduate students from a variety of fields who were enrolled in a qualitative research class met in an informal setting that facilitated a collaborative learning mode--defined in this presentation as a method of group interaction whereby all members learn from each other's experiences, scholarship, and skills. The first of the six papers…

This study investigated the effects of self-directed videotape experiences upon the self-concept of delinquent males. The self-directed process is a method of self-expression, and included videotape recording and playback, viewing motion picture films, and discussions. The dimensions of self-concept tested through the Self Social Symbols Task were…

Describes the development of a computer-assisted college course in group performance skills (GPS) which was designed to expand the instructor's ability to monitor development of individual performance skills and assess their influence on the group output. Computer-mediated communication is explained, and its implications for distance education are…

Reports an investigation into pupil-talk in small groups during a computer simulation. The role of language as a communication and understanding aid is considered, along with the microcomputer's potential as a stimulus to and generator of discussion. The contents of participants' conversations, at and away from the microcomputer, are analyzed.…

The development of a framework for analyzing pupil talk is described and the reliability of scoring transcribed conversions using the framework discussed. Definitions and examples of the terms used in the framework are appended. (Author/YP)

Asserts that, although many researchers and teachers have written about the use of cooperative, or collaborative, learning groups, their work has focused on small classes. Reports on a study of informal cooperative group assignments used in a large (225 students) college-level Introduction to Sociology class. (CFR)