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This study sought to holistically describe the development and implementation of a pilot learning community program at Florida Gulf Coast University. The study used qualitative and quantitative methodology to examine the purposes and conceptualization of the program, explore the perceptions of student and faculty participants, describe the characteristics of students who chose to participate in the learning community, and determine what effects the program had on student success and retention. Semi-structure interviews were conducted with participating faculty. Data were transcribed and coded using categorical aggregation to organize and report emerging themes. Student focus groups were facilitated in pre-program and post-program sessions to determine expectations and attitudes of student participants. Proxy measures were used from the College Study Inventory, an assessment of student motivational factors to determine selected student characteristics. Measures from student records were analyzed to determine academic success and retention effects. The study resulted in a description of the conceptualization and implementation of the learning community and a review of the purposes and goals of the program. Findings of the study indicated that students who participated in the program had lower high school grades yet were more receptive to academic assistance in college. Student participants gave higher importance to social aspects of the learning community and learning through peer assistance. Themes that emerged from faculty interviews included differences in perceptions regarding faculty student boundaries, student socialization effects, planning and organizational issues, and pedagogical practices regarding the use of cooperative strategies in the classroom. The study provided recommendations for further programming efforts that were based upon the review of the current literature on student development theory, organizational theories, and learning community research.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1991. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 62-68). Also available in print.

Doctor of Education / Department of Educational Leadership / Sarah J. Fishback / In today’s interconnected world, teams must form quickly, learn and adapt to overcome challenges regardless of the environment. For example, complexity in responding to natural disasters or man-made political, economic and security crises often requires the ability to learn collaboratively to minimize human suffering and protect property. When teams find success, the operation succeeds beyond what a single organization can provide, but when teams fail they can make a bad situation worse. Leveraging an approach called a Leader Team Exercise (LTX), teams can generate the shared qualities of understanding, confidence and competence in a structured manner to accelerate learning and performance. This research study investigated the potential of an LTX through initial research in a within-subjects experimental design of the 161st Artillery Battalion, Kansas Army National Guard as they negotiated obstacles located on the Fort Riley, Kansas Field Leaders Reaction Course (FLRC). The quantitative data collected was evaluated employing non-parametric statistical tests to answer five research questions about the relationship of the LTX to dependent variables of team performance, shared understanding and shared confidence to further explore field observations of learning action teams. The study provides new knowledge to further advance understanding of the LTX and its relationship to team performance and learning. In addition, the study also offers a source of data as a foundation for future research to continue investigation into the full depth and breadth of the LTX in other settings and conditions. The study found a relationship among the dependent variables and the FLRC, as well as a relationship between the LTX and team demographics related to shared understanding and performance. The findings also advance the adult education body of knowledge about learning dynamics, which occur outside the classroom. The implications to improve teams that rapidly form, disband, and form again will impact adult learning in a wide spectrum of applications in the government, academia and industry. Finally, the study offers recommendations for future areas of research and practical application based on current knowledge for the Kansas National Guard and others who might use or plan on using the LTX in the future.

This study set out to establish and record headteachers’ and teachers’ perceptions of the role of collegial teams in enhancing continuous instructional improvement. The concept collegial teams is based on the collegial model. The model advocates that for instructional improvement, teachers ought to work together as colleagues. The study began by investigating whether the participants had the basic understanding of collegial teams in the first place. It then established whether the teams exist in the selected schools. It proceeded to find out how these teams operate and whether they play any role in enhancing continuous instructional improvement. Furthermore, the study solicited respondents’ perceptions of the obstacles that hinder the operation of the teams. Lastly, the study made effort to obtain respondents’ recommendations on how best to improve the operation of the teams. This study has found that headteachers and teachers perceive collegial teams as playing a very significant role in enhancing continuous instructional improvement. The degree of the role was found to hinge on the headteacher’s attitude and support of the teams. These two elements in turn determined the degree of the teachers’ empowerment by the headteacher. Empowerment in this study is synonymous with treating teachers as professionals. Where empowerment prevailed, professional interaction arid collaboration tended to prevail also. The latter seem to result in the deepening of subject content and increasing diversification of teaching strategies as teachers work together zmd share ideas. The ultimate result of teachers’ working as colleagues was noticeable improvement in students’ performance. However, contextual factors tended to affect some teams negatively more than others apparently depending on each team’s ‘mastery’ of group dynamics. Finally, among others, two key recommendations were made; in school A, working on the master time- table in order to accommodate peer evaluation was recommended. In school B, it was recommended that teamwork be built on the good elements of the teacher assessment form over which teachers have no control.

Thesis (M.A. (Psychology) - Rhodes University, 2000.

Les organitzacions actuals se veuen obligades a establir avantatges competitius sostenibles per tal de prosperar en el mercat global. Les innovacions amb èxit han estat considerades àmpliament una base fonamental per generar avantatge competitiu (Dodgson et al., 2005). Aquestes innovacions les generen habitualment els equips (Brown i Eisenhardt, 1995). Liderar un equip d’innovació s’ha identificat com un dels factors clau d’èxit per als projectes innovadors (Amabile i Khaire, 2008). El lideratge no tan sols repercuteix en uns indicadors d’acompliment hard com el caràcter innovador del projecte, sinó que s’ha vist que també contribueix a millorar l’actitud de l’equip, les seves percepcions i creences (Gordon i Yukl, 2002). En concret, los líders d’equip eficaços són els que participen en activitats orientades a la substància de la tasca de l’equip, les relacions i el canvi (Yukl, 2010), les quals alhora faciliten els processos de grup i es demostra que repercuteixen positivament en uns resultats diversos pel que fa a l’acompliment (Burke et al., 2006). En la mesura que el lideratge s’orienta a influir en els processos d’equip pel que fa a construir condicions socials, estructurar les tasques de l’equip i obrir la mentalitat dels seus membres cap a coses noves (Yukl, 2010), és interessant estudiar un procés d’equip que es basi en les condicions creades per les activitats de lideratge. L’aprenentatge cooperatiu o en equip (team learning), que aquí es defineix com la interacció entre la reflexió i l’acció (Edmondson, 2002), és un procés que requereix interaccions personals, com també l’estructura de la tasca de l’equip. A més, l’aprenentatge cooperatiu millora molt quan algú de l’equip l’impulsa a mirar més enllà dels seus límits o en qüestiona l’statu quo. El motiu d’estudiar aquests conceptes no tan sols es justifica per les condicions necessàries per a l’aprenentatge que es generen a través del lideratge, sinó també pel fet que el lideratge com a factor d’input i l’aprenentatge cooperatiu com a procés de grup són dues precondicions crítiques perquè l’equip adopti un caràcter innovador (Amabile et al., 2004; Wong, 2004). Atès que l’aprenentatge cooperatiu és especialment important en aquells equips que participen en tasques creatives no rutinàries (Edmondson, 1999), m’he centrat en el lideratge compartit en aquest projecte de tesi doctoral perquè aquest enfocament del lideratge és especialment adequat per als equips que realitzen tasques creatives, complexes i no rutinàries (Pearce, 2004). A diferència del lideratge vertical, en el lideratge compartit tot l’equip, inclòs el líder del projecte, participa en el lideratge (Carson et al., 2007; Pearce, 2004). Aquest projecte de tesi doctoral és un primer pas cap a la construcció d’aquesta teoria centrant-se en el rol del lideratge compartit en l’aprenentatge cooperatiu. He presentat dades extretes d’un estudi observatori sobre el lideratge compartit i el procés d’aprenentatge en tres equips de projecte. Observant i entrevistant aquests equips, vam extraure les conclusions següents de les dades obtingudes. En primer lloc, cercant interrelacions entre cada una de les tres substàncies del lideratge i l’aprenentatge cooperatiu, proporcionem uns coneixements amb profunditat concretament sobre la relació existent entre la substància de la tasca i la del canvi, que afecten la reflexió i l’acció, per tal com aquestes relacions mai abans no s’havien estudiat (Edmondson et al., 2008). Les relacions i la substància del canvi primerament recolzaven la part reflexiva de l’aprenentatge, mentre que la substància de la tasca del lideratge bàsicament millorava la part activa de l’aprenentatge. En segon lloc, no tan sols he estudiat aquests tres categories de lideratge en l’aprenentatge cooperatiu individualment, sinó que també he analitzat el caràcter complementari d’aquestes tres substàncies del lideratge pel que fa a l’aprenentatge cooperatiu. Les conclusions empíriques han demostrat que, per participar en cicles de reflexió i acció amb èxit, l’equip necessita prendre part en activitats de lideratge com les tasques, les relacions i el canvi. / Las organizaciones actuales se ven obligadas a fijar ventajas competitivas sostenibles con el fin de prosperar en el mercado global. Las innovaciones de éxito han sido consideradas ampliamente una base fundamental para generar ventaja competitiva (Dodgson et al., 2005). Dichas innovaciones son generadas habitualmente por equipos (Brown y Eisenhardt, 1995). Liderar un equipo de innovación se ha identificado como uno de los factores clave de éxito para los proyectos de innovación (Amabile y Khaire, 2008). El liderazgo no solo repercute en unos indicadores de desempeño hard como el carácter innovador del proyecto, sino que también se ha visto que contribuye a mejorar la actitud del equipo, sus percepciones y creencias (Gordon y Yukl, 2002). En concreto, los líderes de equipo eficaces son los que toman parte en actividades orientadas a la sustancia de la tarea del equipo, las relaciones y el cambio (Yukl, 2010), que, a su vez, facilitan los procesos de grupo y se demuestra que repercuten positivamente en unos resultados del desempeño diversos (Burke et al., 2006). En la medida que el liderazgo se dirige a influir en los procesos de equipo en lo relativo a construir condiciones sociales, estructurar las tareas del equipo y abrir la mentalidad de sus miembros hacia algo nuevo (Yukl, 2010), resulta interesante estudiar un proceso de equipo que se base en las condiciones creadas por las actividades del liderazgo. El aprendizaje cooperativo o en equipo (team learning), que aquí se define como la interacción entre la reflexión y la acción (Edmondson, 2002), es un proceso que requiere interacciones personales, así como la estructura de la tarea del equipo. Además, el aprendizaje cooperativo mejora mucho cuando alguien del equipo lo impulsa a mirar más allá de sus límites o cuestiona su statu quo. La razón para estudiar estos conceptos no solo se justifica por las condiciones necesarias para el aprendizaje que se generan a través del liderazgo, sino también por el hecho de que el liderazgo como factor de input y el aprendizaje cooperativo como proceso de grupo son dos precondiciones críticas para que el equipo adopte un carácter innovador (Amabile et al., 2004; Wong, 2004). Puesto que el aprendizaje cooperativo es especialmente importante en aquellos equipos que participan en tareas creativas no rutinarias (Edmondson, 1999), me he centrado en el liderazgo compartido en este proyecto de tesis doctoral porque este enfoque del liderazgo es especialmente adecuado para los equipos que realizan tareas creativas, complejas y no rutinarias (Pearce, 2004). A diferencia del liderazgo vertical, en el liderazgo compartido todo el equipo, incluyendo al líder del proyecto, participa en el liderazgo (Carson et al., 2007; Pearce, 2004). Este proyecto de tesis doctoral es un primer paso hacia la construcción de esta teoría centrándose en el rol del liderazgo compartido en el aprendizaje cooperativo. He presentado datos extraídos de un estudio observatorio sobre el liderazgo compartido y el proceso de aprendizaje en tres equipos de proyecto. Observando y entrevistando a estos equipos, extrajimos las siguientes conclusiones de los datos obtenidos. En primer lugar, buscando interrelaciones entre cada una de las tres sustancias del liderazgo y el aprendizaje cooperativo, proporcionamos unos conocimientos en profundidad concretamente sobre la relación existente entre la sustancia de la tarea y la del cambio que afectan a la reflexión y a la acción, tal como estas relaciones jamás se habían estudiado anteriormente (Edmondson et al., 2008). Las relaciones y la sustancia del cambio principalmente apoyaban la parte reflexiva del aprendizaje, mientras que la sustancia de la tarea del liderazgo básicamente mejoraba la parte activa del aprendizaje. En segundo lugar, no sólo he estudiado estas tres categorías de liderazgo en el aprendizaje cooperativo individualmente, sino que también he analizado el carácter complementario de estas tres sustancias del liderazgo en lo relativo al aprendizaje cooperativo. Las conclusiones empíricas han demostrado que, para participar en ciclos de reflexión y acción exitosos, el equipo necesita tomar parte en actividades de liderazgo como las tareas, las relaciones y el cambio. / Today’s organizations are forced to establish sustainable competitive advantages in order to outpace the global market. Successful innovations have been broadly considered a vital basis for the generation of competitive advantage (Dodgson et al., 2005). Such innovations are typically generated by teams (Brown & Eisenhardt, 1995). Leading an innovation team has been identified as one of the key success factors for innovation projects (Amabile & Khaire, 2008). Leadership does not only impact on hard performance indicators such as project innovativeness but is also shown to enhance a team’s attitude, perceptions and beliefs (Gordon & Yukl, 2002). Particularly, effective team leaders are those engaging in activities directed at the substance of the team’s task, relations and change (Yukl, 2010) which, in turn, facilitate group processes and are shown to positively impact diverse performance outcomes (Burke et al., 2006). As leadership is directed at influencing team processes in terms of building up social conditions, framing the team’s tasks and opening team members’ minds for something new (Yukl, 2010), it is interesting to study a team process which is based on the conditions created by leadership activities. Team learning, here defined as the interplay of reflection and action (Edmondson, 2002), is a process which requires personal interactions as well as a frame of the team’s task. Additionally, team learning is much enhanced when someone in the team is pushing the team to look outside its boundaries or challenging the status quo. Not only the required conditions for learning generated through leadership highlight the reason for studying these two concepts, but also the fact that leadership as an input factor and team learning as a group process are both critical antecedent conditions for team innovativeness (Amabile et al., 2004; Wong, 2004). Since team learning is especially important for teams engaging in creative non-routine tasks (Edmondson, 1999), I have focused on shared leadership in this PhD project because this leadership approach is especially suitable for teams in charge of creative, complex and non-routine tasks (Pearce, 2004). In contrast to vertical leadership, in shared leadership the team including the project leader is engaged in leadership (Carson et al., 2007; Pearce, 2004). This PhD project is a first step towards building up this theory by focusing on the role of shared leadership in team learning. I have presented data from an observatory study on shared leadership and learning process in three project teams. By observing and interviewing those teams, the following findings emerged from the data: Firstly, by researching interrelations between each of the three leadership substances and team learning, I provide in-depth knowledge, in particular concerning the link between the task and change substance affecting reflection and action as these links have not studied been before (Edmondson et al., 2008): Relations and change substance primarily supported the reflection part of learning, whereas the task substance of leadership basically enhanced the action part of learning. Secondly, not only have I studied these three leadership categories on team learning individually, but I have also provided insights into the complementary character of these three leadership substances as regards team learning. Empirical findings have shown that in order to engage in successful learning cycles of reflection and action, a team needs to engage in leadership activities of task, relations and change.

Extending Hambrick¡¦s(1994) concept of behavioral integration, a real ¡§team¡¨ doesn¡¦t focus on its team-orientation design, but on the interaction among its members. The concept of behavioral integration describes the key process of interaction among team members. Owing to the characteristics of task and social emotional interdependence, some work units need to work as teams to complete their task. The article concludes related surveys, and constructs a theoretical framework. Using survey data from 100 basic work units, the researcher tests the structural model by applying structural equation method (SEM). Although not every hypothesis has been supported by sample, transformational leadership is positively related to team behavioral integration. Besides, the relation between behavioral integration, team conflicts and learning is found.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 205-233). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

The purpose of this thesis was to show that cooperative learning strategies are suitable teaching techniques for the instruction of undergraduate music theory. Literature in music theory pedagogy has concentrated primarily on content-based teaching issues and offers little information on the range of teaching techniques available for promoting student learning. Many instructors may be relying on traditional teaching methods with which they are familiar-lectures, lecture-demonstrations and teacher-led discussions-to instruct tonal theory classes and may not be aware of cooperative learning or its potential usefulness as another instructional strategy. The body of this thesis is divided into three main sections. The opening section demonstrates how traditional teaching methods alone fail to meet many learning needs of students and points to cooperative learning strategies as one alternative method that addresses these needs. In the next section, cooperative learning is further defined in order to differentiate it from traditional group work. The third and largest section contains ten sample lesson plans based on topics central to first- and second-year tonal harmony courses. Each lesson includes at least one cooperative learning technique and a discussion of why the particular technique was applied to the topic. Instructors of tonal harmony who are looking for additional teaching strategies that actively involve the learners should consider using cooperative learning. The sample lesson plans offered in this thesis illustrate how these techniques may be used either briefly in conjunction with more traditional methods or on their own in more extensive activities. Variety within cooperative learning strategies has also been demonstrated by providing techniques ranging from simple, user-friendly ideas for the inexperienced, to more complex and challenging activities requiring higher levels of experience and collaborative skills. A selected bibliography is included to assist readers in becoming familiar with some of the resources available to those who use cooperative groups for instruction.