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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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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.

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

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.

Ph.D. (Education) / This study was undertaken to assess whether the team management approach would help in resolving prominent problems in secondary schools. Attention was focused on the ever increasing management task in secondary schools and more specifically, on the management task of school managers. Contemporary schools are complex institutions and there are many problems to solve. For the secondary school to function well, it has to be managed effectively ...

This study adds to the limited empirical research evidence about the use of group facilitation in organisations. It analyses data collected from managers and facilitators to identify the critical contingency factors that influence the use of group facilitation. The data was analysed using an iterative process of grounded content analysis. The findings identify four primary contingency factors that influence the use of group facilitation. Chief among these is the 'outcomes-oriented' worldview that characterises the theories-in-use of both managers and facilitators. Group facilitation is used when managers perceive that it is likely to be an appropriate intervention which will enable the achievement of certain desired organisational goals. A parallel finding is that the relationship between managers and external facilitators is frequently 'instrumental' in nature. These findings have significant implications for both the theory and practice of group facilitation, especially concerning the field's dominant view of facilitation as a 'neutral' intervention. It extends the perspective proffered by a minority of scholars and writers in this field. The other primary contingency factors identified in this study include the complexity of the group's task; the need to challenge or otherwise alter the way a group is thinking in relation to its task; and the need to have open discussions about issues pertaining to the work or life of the group when the expertise to enable such discussions is not otherwise available. In addition to the implications regarding the neutrality of facilitation, the findings of this study have implications for the management of groups within organisations. Facilitation is demonstrably a useful means of building trust and enhancing relationships in numerous situations. It is also clearly perceived to be an appropriate means of enabling groups to structure and manage complex tasks. This includes tasks that are both objectively complex in nature, and those that group members subjectively experience as complex tasks. Given the increasing complexity of business environments, the complexity of many group tasks, and the increasing propensity for organisations to utilise teams and groups to get work done, facilitation is emerging as an important means of assisting organisational effectiveness.