Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University.

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For some considerable time, group activity has been an accepted feature of teaching and learning practice in Higher Education (HE) (Tennant, 1997). This exploratory study has the broad aim of investigating group learning on a Communication Skills course unit of a Foundation Year programme at the University of Manchester. Alongside the aim of identifying evidence for learning in groups, the study is also concerned with developing new understandings related to research methodology in the area of group learning. The study first sets the unit under investigation in the context of relevant current national and institutional policies that have played an important role in shaping the development of university teaching over the last 20 years, particularly with regard to supporting economic development through the provision of an appropriately skilled workforce. The aims of such policies are considered as well as empirical research carried out into cooperative learning in education generally, and group work activity in HE institutions in particular. There are two main elements to the empirical inquiry: (i) discourse analysis of verbatim transcriptions of student group talk, and (ii) content analysis of student group interviews and tutor discussions. Particular emphasis is given to the discourse analysis element as a means of critiquing the effectiveness of group work in facilitating learning. To this end, two specific approaches to discourse analysis are utilised: ‘Idea Framing’ (Tan, 2000/ 2003) and sociocultural discourse analysis (Mercer, 2005). These approaches to uncovering evidence of learning in group talk are critiqued and the findings reported. These finding are then considered alongside the data that emerged from the staff and student discussions. The investigation revealed methodological insights in researching group work in the HE classroom as well as new understandings about what ‘learning’ means in this context. Firstly, in terms of methodology, the inquiry suggests that the combination of the two approaches to discourse analysis adopted provide an effective means of identifying instances of learning as well as insights into the group environment that influence such occurrences. Secondly, with regard to group learning in the HE context, the data highlight (i) the importance of social aspects of group activity for students, and (ii) the link between evidence for learning and the nature of the task they were asked to perform. However, in terms of acquiring ‘transferrable’ or ‘employability’ skills, the data reinforce many of the reservations voiced in the literature about the potential for developing such skills. The implications of these findings for task design are highlighted and suggestions provided in terms of how the course unit may be adapted. In addition, the wider applicability of the findings are considered in terms of improving understanding of aspects of group processes as they occur in the context of undergraduate HE. The study concludes with reflections on the impact of doctoral study on my professional development and practice, and suggestions for further research.

This thesis reports on a qualitative study of student interactions in one grade seven mathematics classroom as the students worked through a series of tasks exploring multiple uses of variables. Student tasks were planned out by me, as the teacher and the researcher, and they were executed in my classroom, where I had worked to create a constructivist classroom environment. This study posed two research questions: (1) In what ways do student interactions during group activities promote the development of individual and collective understanding of the concept of variable? and (2) In what ways do student interactions during whole-class discussions promote the development of individual and collective understanding of the concept of variable? I used research methods in which I was a participant. Data was collected in the form of audio taped discussions for the participants (working in three groups of four). Audio files of class discussions were accumulated and stored for later review. Written student work and reflections were collected for all class members at the time of the study. From these data sources, the relevant data set emerged. Analysis came in the form of thick description of eight episodes of importance in which the multiple data sources came together to highlight how student interactions in the form of negotiations may have promoted a shift in understanding of variable. The data showed the complex nature of student interactions along with the potential benefits to student learning. The data showing these benefits were outlined as three patterns of negotiations. These were: negotiations with other students, negotiations with self, and negotiations with the teacher. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2008-04-07 19:10:42.808

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This research studies the effects of group stewardship and group learning on permanent work groups performing the core work and service processes in their organizations. Stewardship has been proposed as a potentially significant form of intrinsic motivation that causes people to act collectively in the best interests of their organization's stakeholders. However, stewardship has not been operationalized nor have its antecedents and consequences been empirically tested in prior field research. After defining group stewardship, the construct is shown to be distinct from related concepts such as psychological ownership and identification with the organization. While previous research has studied the concepts of individual and organizational learning, the concept of group learning is just emerging in the group effectiveness literature. Group learning is shown to be a multidimensional concept including integration of external perspectives, within-group collaboration, and practical application through experimentation. Within and between analysis (WABA) is utilized to determine which task, group and organizational constructs relate to the development of group stewardship at the individual, group and organizational levels of analysis. Four constructs, the need for analysis in doing the group's work, group potency, affective trust, and identification with the organization, are shown to be especially significant in developing group stewardship. Additionally, each of these four factors is shown to support different aspects of group learning. Finally, group stewardship is shown to be highly correlated with the presence of group learning, proactive behaviors, group performance, and employee job satisfaction. / Ph. D.

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Learning community literature supports the use of student cohorts to enhance learning through increased peer interaction and common course work. Researchers employed the qualitative method of phenomenography to identify various ways doctoral counseling students conceptualize and experience learning in a cohort over the course of a single academic year. Participants were all 10 members of a single southwestern U.S. university counseling program doctoral cohort of full-time students between 20 and 59 years of age with 5 members 20-29, 4 members 30-39, 1 member 50-59; 8 female, 2 male; 9 White non-Hispanic, 1 African-American. Data were transcripts from 30 one-hour interviews, three for each participant over the course of their first year of study. The research team that analyzed the data consisted of three advanced counseling program doctoral students, each with research methods coursework. Results revealed nine dynamic structural aspects of learning: dialogue, diversity, knowledge, motivation, support, shared experience, relationship development, interpersonal awareness, and conflict. Findings support the use of learning communities in doctoral level counselor education programs. Cohort members demonstrated increasing awareness of the potential learning benefits of cohort interaction and developed more in depth strategies over time to utilize the cohort to enhance learning. Future counselor educators may now with greater confidence design learning communities and curriculum to facilitate doctoral cohort development for optimal student interaction.

This study attempted to determine, given an individual's learning environment preference as determined by Alone/Peer Oriented scale of the Productivity Environmental Preference Survey (PEPS), if achievement scores could be predicted when given either an individual or a peer-group teaching environment. Participants were graduate students (n = 18) enrolled in a graduate course.

My research measured completion and retention of procedural learning tasks, and declarative and procedural components of engagement in indoor and outdoor settings. Instructor-assisted Self-Directed Learning and Non-instructor-assisted Self-Directed Learning were implemented in the context of an Experiential Learning approach. Experimental covariates included student-specific variables such as background and experience, and environment-specific variables such as temperature, and humidity. AIC model averaging was used to identify the best-fitting mixed GLM models. Neither location, nor pedagogic method, proved to be a significant predictor of the probability that a student would complete the most complex of the procedural learning tasks, and the percent of students completing this task was not significantly higher in outdoor groups than in indoor groups. Neither location nor pedagogic method was a significant predictor of retention of procedural knowledge or engagement with learning materials. The level of voluntary collaboration was higher in outdoor groups than in indoor groups. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2014. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection