Disputats, Mälardalens högskola, 2007. / Findes også på internet (PDF-format): http://www.diva-portal.org/diva/getDocument?urn_nbn_se_mdh_diva-169-2__fulltext.pdf. Med litteraturhenvisninger.

Software toolkits are under development to help construct applications that support group-working. Toolkit developers adopt different approaches to group-work support in order to tackle different issues and a toolkit is commonly characterised by the approach adopted. It is difficult to compare toolkits because of this lack of apparent commonality and it is difficult to decide which toolkits meet specific application requirements.

D.Litt. et Phil. (Social Work) / The rising divorce rate and the crisis surrounding divorce was the motivation for the researcher to undertake this study. The purpose of the study was to develop a groupwork program for divorce counselling. Groupwork was selected as a method especially because the developmental approach of Tropp (1976) strong I y s tresses shared problems and experiences - in this instance of divorce. :'-, The model contains five phases, although this study only dealt with the analysis, development and evaluation phases. Each phase comprises material conditions to be met as well as a number of operational steps to be followed. The model fits in particularly well with programme development and evaluation • The modeI further lends itself to the utilization of different theories and models which inform the theoretical foundation of the study, e.g • the stress and crisis mode 1 of Ahrons & Rodgers (1987), and Tripodi's (1983) programme evaluation model in the evaluation phase. The measuring instruments used in this study were five of the nine Hudson scales and a biographical questionnaire.

A previous thesis by Kerr and Kirkham (I963) indicated the extent to which caseworkers worked with groups in Vancouver. The present study continues this investigation, focussing on how caseworkers use themselves as change agents in such groups. An interview schedule was used to obtain from the workers the necessary data. This information was then classified according to the purpose and goals of the group, and the role of the worker, using the conceptual framework of Dr. J. Klein as model. The study revealed that each of the groups could be placed in one or the other of Klein's three categories: group education, social group treatment, or group psychotherapy. It was found that lack of clarity of purpose resulted in conflicting goals, with a consequent confusion in worker role. Most frequently, inexperience on the part of the agency or worker was the cause for confusion of purpose. It was seen that a written statement of purpose contributed to a clear perception of goal and role. The need for caseworkers to set conscious goals for each meeting was established. Particular attention was given the goals established in the first and final meetings: planned goals were common for the first meeting, inconsistency of appropriate goals common in the final meeting. Analysis of the difficulties on the part of most workers in their role in the group, suggest the following as possible causes: (1) lack of clarity of purpose; (2) lack of clarity of goals; (3) lack of knowledge of group process; (4) lack of necessary skills; and (5) confusion in professional identity. It is important that workers in the psychotherapy groups should have a clear perception of purpose and understanding of appropriate role. Some findings in relation to "open-ended groups" appear which agencies should take into consideration when planning such a group. Knowledge and training in social group work is obviously valuable for caseworkers if they are to work with groups; and the need is clear for further study to be undertaken of caseworkers working with groups. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

This thesis is a study of an experiment conducted by an experienced social group worker with a group of fifteen anti-social teen-age boys in the East End district of Vancouver. The writer's interest in this study has grown out of his concern for youngsters who come to neighbourhood houses and community centers and search.in vain for companionship and enjoyable activity. In spite of their apparent desire they are unable to feel at home and take part in the program services offered. Many of the youngsters, who experience this difficulty, drift toward membership in anti-social groups in an effort to find some measure of satisfaction. The anti-social teen-age group does not appear in a neighbourhood by chance but in response to the unmet social and personal needs of its members. These needs have not been met through community services because of certain attitudes and feelings on the part of the members, the nature of the gang organization they create to protect themselves, and the response of the community to the way in which they make their needs known. The group records of the East End Boys Project show the search of a group of youngsters for satisfying personal and group experiences. The members in this group had not been able to find a constructive means of satisfying their need for security, status, recognition and meaning in life. The project demonstrates that, through the relationship with a social group worker, the factors that prevented some of these youngsters from using the opportunities for social experience provided by the community, can be isolated and overcome. In the security of the informal club room with an accepting, understanding adult these youngsters are able to relax and seek the assistance they need. In this atmosphere the social worker can utilize group work skills and techniques and/his understanding of human behaviour in the re-direction of/anti-social attitudes and activities. Through the medium or the natural gang group the social worker is able to reach out and offer services to young people who otherwise could never be involved in the helping process. The anti-social teen-age gang is a symptom of an unmet social need in the community. Social work in its concern for unmet needs wherever they appear, has recognized this symptom and moved toward the devising of methods of isolating and treating the underlying social ailment. Social group work has a real contribution to make in work with anti-social youngsters but such a contribution, to be effective, must be co-ordinated and integrated with a total program of youth services in the community. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

Fundamentally, the goals of education are not unlike the goals of medical therapy; that is, to facilitate a desired change in an individual. In medicine, the prerequisite to the selection of any therapeutic regime is the diagnostic process — the identification of the antecedent states of an individual which must be taken into account in the attainment of the intended state. The educational analogue to the medical diagnostic process is the process of identifying the antecedent knowledge, skills, values or attitudes possessed by students entering a course which may influence the process of attaining, or the attainment of, the course goals. The educational analogue of the therapeutic regime are the instructional strategies which take the antecedent conditions into account and which are directed at the fulfillment of course goals. In education however, feasible methods have hot been identified for taking these antecedent conditions into account. In selecting teaching strategies in most classroom situations, it is not practical to take these conditions into consideration on an individual basis. Nor is it useful to consider class averages on these variables, since students vary so widely in terms of them. This study, working in the context of science education, and dealing with affective variables, developed a procedure for providing knowledge of antecedent affective variables in a form permitting their effective utilization in the process of selecting instructional strategies. More specifically, the purpose of this study was to develop a theoretically based and methodologically sound systematic procedure (generically "the Procedure") for (1) identifying, describing, and reporting the degree of pro-ness or con-ness of affective antecedents deemed to be important to science instruction and (2) identifying teaching strategies which take these antecedent conditions into account and which are directed toward science teaching outcomes in the affective domain. The general approach taken by the Procedure is to identify and describe subgroups of students within a class in terms of similar sets of antecedent affective responses to objects which reflect pro-ness or con-ness toward the affective ratings inherent in the affective goals of a course. Instructional strategies for these subgroups can then be selected or provide a rational basis for changing those antecedent ratings which are most incongruent with the desired affective ratings reflected in the affective goals. The affective goals are identified within a clear and accurate statement of the rationale for a course. Measurements of the degree of students' pro-ness or con-ness on the affective responses of concern are obtained through the use of the Semantic Differential technique. The Q-analysis technique, a technique for categorizing people, is employed to identify the subgroups of students. The educational value of the Procedure rests upon its ability to meet an important educational need in a practical way — specifically its ability to provide a clear description of affective antecedents in a form permitting their effective utilization in the process of identifying teaching strategies directed toward the fulfillment of affective goals. In this study, the results of the application of the Procedure to an introductory university physics course supported the general effectiveness of the contribution of each component of the Procedure in meeting this need. There is concern however (1) that additional data need to be gathered supporting the validity of the Procedure, and (2) that the time and monetary demands associated with the Q-analysis and Semantic Differential techniques might limit the feasibility of the Procedure in some educational settings. Recommendations and guidelines regarding future applications of the Procedure are provided, including recommendations regarding validity studies and the use of less costly alternatives to the SD and Q-analysis components. / Education, Faculty of / Graduate

Published Article / It is required of higher education institutions in South Africa to provide for the development of general skills such as the ability to function in a team, and to apply group work as a method of instruction. After implementation of group work in the new five-year medical curriculum at the University of the Free State, it was realised that ineffective group dynamics and the inexperience of staff and students warranted clear and comprehensive guidelines for group work. For the development of these, opinions of students and staff involved, as well as inputs by experts on group work and literature findings, were evaluated. Their responses are reported and guidelines for effective group work are suggested.

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

This is a study about teacher learning in a case school. In this context, the study concentrates on teacher learning in groups. In the literature, there is a lot of attention to teacher learning in groups, community, and networks; however, many researchers indicate the necessity of understanding the processes of teacher’s interactions and obtaining concrete evidence of such interactions. This points to the need to secure quantitative data as well as qualitative data. This study is a step-wise exploration of teacher learning in the school. Step 1: The study began by understanding the pattern of teacher’s professional interactions using Social Network Analysis (SNA). Step 2: In order to delineate teacher learning in the school, the study then borrowed the concept of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) from Karen Seashore Louis (2006). Hence, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was used to confirm that the chosen Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) constructs are suitable for this study. Step 3: Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was adopted to link the pattern of teacher’s professional interactions to the confirmed PLCs constructs. Step 4: Interviews were conducted to triangulate with and to interpret the quantitative findings. While Social Network Analysis (SNA) provides a general pattern and relative positions of teacher’s professional interactions, Structural Equation modeling (SEM) helps identifying the types of professional activities and their intensity in the networks. Hence, it provides a 3-D picture of relations among teachers in the case school. This integrated analysis leads to the comprehensively understanding of learning activities that occurred among teachers in this school. In this study, the concept of PLC is seen as a combination of Professional Community (PC) and Organizational Learning (OL). It is found that, in this school, teachers themselves have high capacity for learning through networks. The major way of interactions among teachers is through discussions to exchange resources and ideas. The findings are in two dimensions: The first is about professional community. The framework of professional community comprises reflective dialogue (which is how teachers engage in deep discussions about instructions) and deprivatized practice (which is how teachers exchange their practices through classroom observation and coteaching). Teachers in the school are found to be strong in the former and weak in the latter. Second, because of the lack of practice sharing and because of the lack of a whole-school system to promote collective practice (which can be IT platforms, regulations, policies, mechanisms, and so forth), the school is yet to demonstrate full capacity of organizational learning. In relevance to theory, while there is a vague, ambiguous, and overlapping meaning of professional community and organizational learning in the literature, the study points to the possible distinction between the two. Empirically, it can be concluded that professional community emphasizes on the interactions among teachers, whereas organizational learning emphasizes on collective actions in the whole school. The study leads to the reinterpretation and modification of Louis (2006)’s framework. To become a learning school, three elements are essential: (1) Teachers engage in professional discussions (i.e. reflective dialogue), (2) Teachers exchange and share professional practices (i.e. deprivatized practice), (3) There must be systemic efforts to facilitate collective action (i.e. shared social construction). / published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Education