Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 101-108).

It is hypothesized that group treatment may be more effective than an individual treatment format. The purpose of this study was to address several deficiencies of previous research in contrasting group and individual treatment delivery formats and to assess the differential effectiveness of these two formats. The treatment area chosen was that of early problem drinker treatment as it was relatively easy to control treatment content across treatment formats since detailed content manuals and theory have been well developed in this area. Subjects were selected from those respondents to a media advertisement who passed several screening criteria and were alternately assigned to a group or individual format. A lack of the requisite number of subjects required some specific design changes. Each treatment condition was given a structured eight-week treatment program of once per week meetings of seventy-five minutes each or a wait-list control condition. Statistical contrasts were then performed on the following variables: total drink units per week, maximum drink units per day, Profile of Mood States -a measure of current affective state, Weissman Social Adjustment Scale - a measure of social functioning level, and a general problem checklist. Data units were gathered pre-treatment, weekly during treatment for drink units, at post-treatment follow-up, and at six months following the end of treatment. The other data were gathered pre-treatment, post-treatment, and at the six-month follow-up. Results of the data manipulations indicated that the treatment intervention was associated with greater improvement on alcohol consumptions than a wait-list control group, but that group treatment was not associated with greater treatment gains than the individual format on any measures. These results are given to be tentative given several major limitations of this study which are discussed. The research was found to be relevant in the area of treatment planning, and is interpreted as providing a more theoretically meaningful contrast of the two formats than previously achieved due to greater experimental control of possibly confounding variables. A useful initial test was performed of a treatment program developed for this study which shows promise for helping problem drinkers. It is also suggested that this research provides some important conclusions for the contrast of group and individual formats in psychological interventions generally. Future directions are suggested. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

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Collaborative problem solving (CPS) is a critical competency, because much of the work people do occurs in a social context involving direct collaboration. Meanwhile, schools are being pressured to reduce the amount of time devoted to large-scale assessments, and to adopt more natural or authentic assessments. It may be possible to address both these issues at once, if collaboration experiences are viewed as opportunities to assess student achievement.However, several issues arise in evaluating individuals’ problem solving skills in a collaborative context: (1) collaborative learning outcomes may obscure individuals’ contributions, making it difficult to isolate individuals’ performance; (2) outcome-based measures may ignore the processes of individuals’ or groups’ problem solving, thus leading to inaccurate estimations of individuals’ or groups’ knowledge, abilities and skills; and (3) prior evaluative focus of CPS research has usually been on social aspects of collaboration rather than domain-relevant cognitive skills. Therefore, the present study aimed to develop a process-based scoring rubric to evaluate individual student achievement in problem solving using collaboration process data. Furthermore, this study explored how group ability composition affects group performance and individual learning gains. The content domain was solving mathematical combinatorics and probability word problems. Participants included 306 Chinese high school students, who performed the following three tasks in order: (1) an individual pretest with seven problems; (2) a collaborative task with three problems; and (3) an individual posttest with seven problems. The results were as follows: First, a four-indicator scoring rubric was developed to evaluate student achievement in solving combinatorics and probability problems using collaboration process data. Evidence suggested that the scoring rubric can be considered reliable and valid in terms of being used as an individual assessment and a teaching tool. Thus, this scoring rubric may provide insights useful for developing relevant performance assessments on more complex and authentic performance tasks. Second, significant differences were found in group performance among dyads as a function of the group’s minimum student ability. Third, students working in dyads with higher maximum or average ability tended to gain more after collaboration. Finally, certain collaborative problem solving behaviors could be linked to individual learning gains.

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This thesis examines the rhetorical dimensions of oral interpretation. A group interpretation script entitled "A New Prayer for Peace" was compiled and rehearsed. Two public performances were given to audiences in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth (Texas). The audience members were surveyed to solicit subjective reaction.

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This research revolves around the rapidly evolving computer-based conferencing technology and the growing need for applications tailored for collaborative environments. It focuses on tools for collaborative processes using an existing software application — CyberQuest as a case study. CyberQuest is a problem solving and innovation support system its main intent being - to help people come up with ideas and with ways to implement them. The objective behind this research is to illuminate the need for desktop based tools for online conferencing, which do more than just audio-video linking and is more than just a simple Internet based "meeting" software. It aims at analyzing the existing CyberQuest software and outline the methodology to be followed to convert it to a Web-based tool for problem solving and innovation support. Chapter 1 describes the existing features of CQ and the reasons as to why this application is suited for adapting to a network environment such as the Internet or an in-company intranet. It elucidates the steps involved in converting CQ to a Web based application and briefly describes the process of how files are processed on the Web. Chapter 3 gives a brief introduction to the Internet and the Web and distinguishes between the two. It also explains what intranets are and the main constituents of a web system. Chapter 4 and 5 explain the conversion issues in detail and list the various scripting languages available and the process of translating the application from Visual Basic into a scripted language. Chapter 6 surveys the results of using an application sharing software to share CQ over 2 or more computers. Lastly, Chapter 7 lists the findings and the future direction of all that is discussed in this study. When fully developed, WebCQ (Web-enabled CyberQuest) would most certainly prove to be a valuable tool for enabling technology that will support collaborators in different disciplines by connecting them to a vast database of information to help them find solutions and improve performance in almost any field. The study also includes a set of re-designed user interfaces for the WebCQ. / Master of Science

There are a variety of creative problem solving techniques. Selected techniques are compared and contrasted and an ideal type is developed. The Idea Machine (TIM) is introduced and the six major steps involved with the technique are described. Results of using TIM in conjunction with three projects are presented. Improvements in TI:M sessions are described and insights associated with sessions in the second project are highlighted. Evaluations by participants are introduced and discussed. TIM is compared with the ideal type technique. It is concluded that while TIM is not comparable to this ideal in every respect, evaluations suggest that it is an extremely effective creative problem solving technique. / Ph. D.

The study focuses on the everyday problem solving processes of a group of community activists in a rural setting in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. It aims to uncover: first, the local knowledge of the participants of the study with reference to the concepts problem and problem solving; second, the participants' group problem solving procedure; and third, the dialectical interrelation between the participants' knowledge and practice with reference to everyday group problem solving. It is contended that the mainstream cognitive approach and the cross-cultural tradition are inappropriate for the study of everyday cognitive processes. A ‘situated cognition’ approach, based on the notions of activity and cultural mediation, is proposed as a theoretical framework for the study. The ontological and epistemological assumptions underpinning the empirical study were derived from a scientific realist and a hermeneutical paradigm. Data for the inquiry into the local knowledge of the participants was collected through individual interviews. The data was interpreted, using the grounded theory techniques of constant comparison, coding and compiling theoretical diagrams. Data for the inquiry into the participants' group problem solving practice consisted of video-taped group problem solving processes. This data was analysed, using a multi layered process of progressively deeper interpretation, employing a reading guide technique. Analysis of the research data revealed that the participants perceived a problem as an impediment to satisfactory participation in society. Problem solving was considered as an emotive, cognitive and inter-active process, involving particular role players. This process had a certain structure, involved attitudes and actions and relied on particular resources. Successful problem solving was perceived to result in restoration of social equilibrium. The group problem solving procedure used by the participants consisted of a process of developing a common understanding and group consensus. The strategies employed in the process, the roles played by the participants, the rules adhered to by the participants and the structure underlying the process were all congruent with these aims. There was a mutually reinforcing interrelation between knowledge and practice with reference to the participants’ problem solving.