Effects of Reward Structures on Academic Performance and Group Processes in a Classroom Setting

Researchers have suggested that cooperative, intergroup competitive, and individualistic reward structures result in different patterns of academic performance and group processes. In this study, we investigated these relationships in an undergraduate business school setting. A reward structure was manipulated across four separate classes, and outcomes were measured using self-reports of group effectiveness, academic performance as graded by instructors, and peer evaluations from group members. The results indicated that group effectiveness was rated significantly higher under the cooperative and no-reward conditions compared to the intergroup competitive reward condition. Peer evaluations in the intergroup competitive condition were significantly lower then those under the other three conditions.     

The Nature and Consequences of Group Cohesion in a Military Sample

The 1st objective of this study was to explore the dimensionality of the work-adapted version of the Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ; Carron, Widmeyer, &; Brawley, 1985 Carron, A. V., Widmeyer, W. N. and Brawley, L. R. 1985. The development of an instrument to assess cohesion in sport teams: The Group Environment Questionnaire.. Journal of Sport Psychology, 7: 244–266. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) in a military setting. The 2nd was to investigate how group cohesion relates to job performance, job satisfaction, and psychological distress. To this end, 447 Canadian military employees who worked in units completed the GEQ, along with measures of job performance, job satisfaction, and psychological distress. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the hypothesized 4-factor model of the GEQ provided a better fit to the data than did alternative models. A path analysis indicated that perceptions of task-related cohesion were predictive of job satisfaction, whereas dimensions of cohesion reflecting attraction to the group were inversely associated with psychological distress. The relevance of social identity with respect to psychological dimensions and correlates of group cohesion is discussed.     

Group Cohesion,Achievement Motivation,and Motivational Outcomes among Female College Students

Embedded in the theory of group cohesion and the expectancy-value model of achievement choice, the purpose of this study was to examine the predictive strengths of group cohesion on students’ motivation (expectancy-related beliefs and subjective task values) and motivational outcomes (exercise choice and class attendance) in college physical activity classes. Participants were 121 females enrolled in aerobics classes who completed questionnaires assessing group cohesion, motivational constructs, and exercise choice. Group cohesion constructs were significantly associated with motivation and motivational outcomes. These findings provide insight into how to design environments to promote motivation in physical activity classes.     

Alliance and Group Cohesion in Relationship Education

Relationship education programs have been shown as an effective way to increase relationship functioning. There is less known about how process factors, such as alliance with the leader or group dynamics, affect outcomes in these interventions. We examined group cohesion and alliance with the leader in a relationship education program tailored for individuals. Specifically, we examined whether participants' ratings (n = 126) of the group cohesion and alliance with the leader were associated with changes in relationship adjustment, relationship confidence, and communication quality from pre‐ to postintervention. The results demonstrated that participants' perceptions of the cohesion among the members in their relationship education group, but not the leader–participant alliance, made a significant contribution to the changes in participants' relationship functioning. These results suggest that the group dynamics among the members in the group are important ingredients in relationship education. Implications for relationship programs are provided.     

Group Counseling in a Correctional Setting

This article describes a model of group counseling with prison inmates. Members assume responsibility for what transpires and structure is not imposed by the leader. This format contrasts with the high degree of control and rigidity found in the institutional environment. The stages of a typical group are reviewed. The counselor's personality is seen as a crucial variable in the group's success. Those counselor qualities that engender positive group outcomes are explored. The author stresses that highly structured environments, such as prisons, need not be barriers to meaningful counselor intervention.     

Participation in Group Goal Setting: Some Novel Findings and a Comprehensive Model as a New Ending to an Old Story

A new model of participation in group goal setting (PGGS) is presented. The model consists of (a) mediator variables (e.g. group cohesion, identification with the group, potency beliefs) that explain why PGGS might affect motivation and group performance, and (b) moderator variables that foster or hinder the development of these effects (e.g. group composition regarding fear of social rejection). Several assumptions of the model were tested in an experiment using a group brainstorming task. Challenging group goals (assigned or participatively set) improved group performance, promoted identification with the group, and improved the readiness for social compensation, but there was no overall effect of PGGS on group performance. However, as predicted, participation alleviated anxiety and groups of highly anxious persons showed enhanced performance due to PGGS. Interestingly, PGGS also decreased group cohesion and intrinsic motivation, probably due to the revelation of goal conflicts during group discussions. These findings suggest that current theories of goal setting and participation have to be extended in various ways.     

The Process of Group Differentiation in a Dynamic Intergroup Setting

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the social categorization processes of between-group differentiation and within-group similarity in a dynamic intergroup setting. Traditionally, these processes have generally been examined in static settings, and it was hypothesized that they may not operate in the same way when group members are in a dynamic intergroup setting. Spectators at four collegiate hockey games were tested throughout the games in order to examine ingroup (home team) versus outgroup (visiting team) perceptions. The traditional effect of ingroup favoritism was found with respect to between-group differentiation, but this effect was influenced by objective measures of performance (i.e., goals). For negative characteristics, ingroup favoritism prevailed regardless of the ingroup's relative performance. The results also demonstrated that a distinction could be made between ingroup favoritism and outgroup discrimination. Although the results pertaining to within-group similarity were only suggestive, they indicated that the outgroup homogeneity effect was not operating in this dynamic context.     

Supporting Whole-class Collaborative Inquiry in a Secondary Mathematics Classroom

Recent mathematics education reform efforts call for the instantiation of mathematics classroom environments where students have opportunities to reason and construct their understandings as part of a community of learners. Despite some successes, traditional models of instruction still dominate the educational landscape. This limited success can be attributed, in part, to an underdeveloped understanding of the roles teachers must enact to successfully organize and participate in collaborative classroom practices. Toward this end, an in-depth longitudinal case study of a collaborative high school mathematics classroom was undertaken guided by the following two questions: What roles do these collaborative practices require of teacher and students? How does the community's capacity to engage in collaborative practices develop over time? The analyses produced two conceptual models: one of the teacher's role, along with specific instructional strategies the teacher used to organize a collaborative learning environment, and another of the process by which the class's capacity to participate in collaborative inquiry practices developed over time.     

The Relationship Between Leadership Behaviors and Group Cohesion in Team Sports

The relationship between leadership behaviors and team cohesion among baseball and softball players at two school levels was analyzed in relation to predictions based on Chelladurai and Carron's (1978) Multidimensional Model of Leadership (MML). Athletes (n = 307) completed the perceived and preferred versions of the Leadership Scale for Sports (LSS) and the Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ). Athletes' coaches (n = 23) completed the self-perceived version of the LSS. Task and social cohesion were assessed in relation to the scales of the three individual versions of the LSS and in relation to two types of discrepancy scores: value and perceptual. Although the concept of discrepancy is prominent in MML theory, the perceptual discrepancy score represents an innovation. Results indicated that, in general, team cohesion was most strongly related to the perceived LSS version and the perceptual discrepancy scores.     

The Effect of Members' Use of a Formal Group as a Reference Group upon Group Effectiveness

Summary

To test the view that “urban” and “rural” workers in the same job derive satisfaction from different aspects in the work situation, 42 black supervisors were divided into urban and rural groups in terms of the number of years spent in a city or town. Among the urban group, the correlation between satisfaction with content job factors and overall job satisfaction, as measured by the Brayfield-Rothe index, was significantly greater than that between context factors and overall job satisfaction. Among the rural group, the position was reversed.     

Parent Education in a Group Therapy Setting

This article responds to K. Roy MacKenzie's Presidential Address, which concerns the challenge of mental health reform as it effects group psychotherapy. Issues of the time-effective use of groups for specific patient populations are explored. The need for practice guidelines that benefit from outcome studies is emphasized. In addition, the efforts of the National Registry of Certified Group Psychotherapists to support group therapy within the current managed care environment are explicated.     

The Importance of Group Cohesion in Inpatient Treatment of Combat-Related PTSD

Abstract

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the most widespread mental illness resulting from exposure to combat, necessitating an increase in the provision of group therapy. This pilot study examined the efficacy of, and treatment outcome predictors associated with, group inpatient treatment of combat-related PTSD. Participants included 38 active duty military personnel deployed during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), diagnosed with PTSD, and consecutive admissions to an inpatient PTSD treatment facility. A paired samples t-test revealed significant change in symptom severity and global functioning between pre- and post-treatment. Multiple regression analyses supported the predictive utility of baseline symptomatology and group cohesion (> 50% of the variance in treatment outcome), highlighting the importance of group cohesion in the efficacy of group treatment for combat-related PTSD.     

Peer-Initiated Motivational Climate and Group Cohesion in Youth Sport

The purpose of the present study was to examine the reciprocal relationship between peer-initiated motivational climate and group cohesion. Measures of peer climate and cohesion were completed across the first half of a competitive season. Controlling for early season perceptions of the dependent variables, hierarchical regression results from 189 participants revealed that early season ego-related climate negatively predicted task cohesion near midseason (p <.01), and task cohesion at early season positively predicted task-related climate at midseason (p <.01). The current study offers preliminary insight into the direction of the relationships between the two constructs in competitive youth sport.     

Photo-synthesis: Facilitating Goal Setting in Supervision Using Images and Creativity

ABSTRACT

One of the most important aspects of clinical supervision is goal-setting. In the early stages of supervision, supervisees may find it difficult to connect authentically with their supervisors due to the inherent power differential in supervision. Difficulty connecting may be exacerbated when students are attempting to set goals regarding their areas for growth. Based on literature reviewed on the counselor-client relationship, the authors posit that using images may increase vulnerability between supervisors and supervisees. Additionally, the authors introduce relational-cultural theory as a framework for connecting authentically through creative images. The authors present examples of using images in individual and group supervision, specifically employing The Coaching Game made by Points of You.     

军事单位团队凝聚力的理论研究及应用

军事单位团队凝聚力是与作战效能紧密相关的因素。文章首先回顾了其理论的发展脉络,指出团队凝聚力是一个多维度的加工分类系统,继而介绍了常用的研究手段和测量方法,最后提出了应用性的建议和对未来研究的展望     

Within‐Pair Consistency in Child Witnesses: The Diagnostic Value of Telling the Same Story

Judges and jurors often rely on consistency for assessing veracity. The present study examined the diagnostic value of within‐pair consistency to predict truth‐telling in pairs of children aged 8 to 10 years. Twenty‐three pairs were questioned about one experienced event and one imagined event (which they had discussed before questioning). Within‐pair consistency was significantly higher for experienced events than for imagined events. The diagnostic value of within‐pair consistency to predict truth‐telling was, however, modest: approximately one out of three judgments based on this cue would have been mistaken. Analyses of children's discussions of the imagined events revealed that interview questions about topics that had been discussed before questioning did not effectively discriminate experienced and imagined events, providing support for theoretical assumptions underlying the unanticipated‐question approach. Practical recommendations for police interviewers are provided. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

School Counselor Inclusion: A Collaborative Model to Provide Academic and Social‐Emotional Support in the Classroom Setting

The increasingly diverse student demographics reflect a myriad of needs in the interrelated arenas of educational achievement, social‐behavioral adjustment, and career development, while federal legislation, the ethical standards of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA; 2004a), and the ASCA (2005a) National Model have emphasized academic achievement and success for all students. This article describes a new model of school counselor “inclusion” that involves collaboration with classroom teachers and changes the setting of school counselor interventions to the classroom for small‐group and individual work.