Group Work Sessions Research Articles

‘They know what you are going through’: a service response to young people who have experienced the impact of domestic abuse

Riverside Women's Aid offers a specialised youth service for young people who have experienced or been affected by domestic abuse in one town in Scotland. This article discusses findings from a research evaluation that examined the advantages of participating in this service. The experiences of young people and youth workers involved showed a commitment to youth work values and methods that contributed to support and helped reduce feelings of isolation. The findings suggested that one-to-one support and group work sessions brought benefits in establishing empathy and generating positive experiences. This helped the young people to better understand domestic abuse and to feel safe and confident about working through their feelings and making new friends. Analysis also suggested that young people valued the services provided by qualified and experienced Women's Aid youth workers, which they perceived as different from other youth work services. The arguments for this kind of specialist service were compelling, yet analysis highlighted a need for caution in order to avoid creating dependency. There were also calls for improved communication and understanding among partner agencies involved in work with young people.

P48 But what happens in a Hospice? Interprofessional learning in the workplace

Building on established links between the University of Leicester Medical School, the School of Social Work and LOROS the Leicestershire Hospice, an interprofessional learning module has been developed which enables...

Negotiating meaning in multilingual group work: a case study of higher education in Rwanda

In this paper, we investigate how students handle the linguistic diversity they are exposed to during group-work sessions at a university in Rwanda. The data consist of five audio-recorded group-work sessions initiated by a lecturer in a management course. The data were analysed drawing on theories relating to code-switching and learning in multilingual settings. Our findings show that active use of multiple languages, although time consuming, has great potential to facilitate learning, thus emphasizing the complementarities rather than exclusion of languages used in Rwanda.

Explicit feedback to enhance the effect of an interim assessment: a cross-over study on learning effect and gender difference.

In a previous study we demonstrated by a prospective controlled design that an interim assessment during an ongoing small group work (SGW) session resulted in a higher score in the course examination. As this reflects the so-called testing effect, which is supposed to be enhanced by feedback, we investigated whether feedback following an interim assessment would have an effect on the score of the course exam, and whether the effect is influenced by the gender of the student. During a General Pathology bachelor course all 386 (bio) medical students took an interim assessment on the topics cell damage (first week) and tumour pathology (fourth week). The intervention consisted of immediate detailed oral feedback on the content of the questions of the interim assessment by the tutor, including the rationale of the correct and incorrect answers. It concerned a prospective randomized study using a cross-over design. Outcome measures were: (1) the difference in the normalized scores (1–10) of the course examination multiple choice questions related to the two topics, (2) effect of gender, and (3) gender-specific scores on formal examination. The effect of feedback was estimated as half the difference in the outcome between the two conditions. Mixed-model analysis was used whereby the SGW group was taken as the study target. The scores of the questions on cell damage amounted to 7.70 (SD 1.59) in the group without and 7.78 (SD 1.39) in the group with feedback, and 6.73 (SD 1.51) and 6.77 (SD 1.60), respectively, for those on tumour pathology. No statistically significant effect of feedback was found: 0.02 on a scale of 1–10 (95 % CI: −0.20; 0.25). There were no significant interactions of feedback with gender. Female students scored 0.43 points higher on the formal examination in comparison with their male colleagues. No additional effect of immediate explicit feedback following an interim assessment during an SGW session in an ongoing bachelor course could be demonstrated in this prospective randomized controlled study. Gender analysis revealed a higher performance of female students on the formal examination, which could not be explained by the effect of feedback in the current study. In this particular learning environment, SGW, explicit feedback may have little added value to the interactive learning that includes implicit feedback.

Questions in academic ELF interaction

Abstract This article investigates questions in a higher education setting where English is used as a lingua franca. The study originates from a larger piece of work which investigated the communicative effectiveness of spoken English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) among the teachers and students at a technical university in authentic situations (Björkman, 2010a). The focus in the present article is placed on student-student interaction from group-work sessions, but references to lectures have been included for comparison where appropriate. The questions in the study were first categorized syntactically. Syntactic analyses were followed by phonological analyses of question intonation. The results of the pilot study point to three cues the listener can rely on to be able to register an utterance as a question: syntax with specific reference to word order, utterance-final rising question intonation and the interrogative adverb/pronoun (in Wh-questions only). The results of the analyses in the present study, drawing on qualitative and quantitative data, demonstrate that a question is more likely to be registered as such when all available cues are provided for the listener. It seems reasonable to suggest, then, that the speakers in lingua franca settings, with the added complexities at the syntactic level, make use of all available cues to ensure communicative effectiveness. Most importantly, the speakers in this setting appeared to achieve communicative effectiveness by using utterance-final rising question intonation in the absence of the other cues, and not by following unmarked native speaker intonation. The fact that utterance-final question intonation is the most reliable cue among the three shows, yet from another angle in ELF usage, that we cannot assume native speaker usage as the ideal in similar settings.

Using Student Learning and Development Outcomes to Evaluate a First-Year Undergraduate Group Video Project

Students in an interdisciplinary undergraduate introductory course were required to complete a group video project focused on nutrition and healthy eating. A mixed-methods approach to data collection involved observing and rating video footage of group work sessions and individual and focus group interviews. These data were analyzed and used to evaluate the effectiveness of the assignment in light of two student learning outcomes and two student development outcomes at the University of Minnesota. Positive results support the continued inclusion of the project within the course, and recommend the assignment to other programs as a viable means of promoting both content learning and affective behavioral objectives.

Usefulness of Group Work as a Teaching Strategy for Long-Term Practical Training in the 6-Year Pharmaceutical Education

At the initiation of long-term practical training in the 6-year pharmaceutical education, there are many issues to be solved. For example, it is necessary for teaching pharmacists, who are in charge of both staffing and teaching pharmacy students, to manage their workload with other staff pharmacists. To overcome this situation and to improve the motivation of teaching pharmacists towards student practical training, we twice held group work (GW) sessions for teaching pharmacists, and then evaluated whether such training was effective for their understanding of the Model Core Curriculum for Practical Training and for promoting a higher level of motivation. During the two-day GW discussions, teaching pharmacists, who work daily in the dispensing area, were separated into two groups to discuss teaching skills. A questionnaire survey was completed by participants before and after each GW session. According to the survey, more than 90% of the pharmacists had a higher motivation level for practical training after the sessions. Particularly in the second GW training, the response rate of "being actively involved" improved from 40% to 70%. Furthermore, "The Educational Evaluation Testing" was conducted, which confirmed the increased participant comprehension. The median scores of the comprehensive exams significantly (p<0.01) improved in twice GW, respectively. Therefore, we conclude that GW sessions are a useful tool for both improving professional knowledge about the Model Core Curriculum and motivating teaching pharmacists involved in the practical training of students. We hope that this exercise will lead to higher student motivation and satisfaction during their practical training.

Challenging medical students with an interim assessment: a positive effect on formal examination score in a randomized controlled study

Until now, positive effects of assessment at a medical curriculum level have not been demonstrated. This study was performed to determine whether an interim assessment, taken during a small group work session of an ongoing biomedical course, results in students’ increased performance at the formal course examination. A randomized controlled trial was set up, with an interim assessment without explicit feedback as intervention. It was performed during a regular biomedical Bachelor course of 4 weeks on General Pathology at the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre. Participants were 326 medical and 91 biomedical science students divided into three study arms: arm Intervention-1 (I-1) receiving one interim assessment; arm I-2 receiving two interim assessments, and control arm C, receiving no interim assessment. The study arms were stratified for gender and study discipline. The interim assessment consisted of seven multiple-choice questions on tumour pathology. Main outcome measures were overall score of the formal examination (scale 1–10), and the subscore of the questions on tumour pathology (scale 1–10). We found that students who underwent an interim assessment (arm I) had a 0.29-point (scale 1–10) higher score on the formal examination than the control group (p = 0.037). For the questions in the formal examination on tumour pathology the score amounted to 0.47 points higher (p = 0.007), whereas it was 0.17 points higher for the questions on topics related to the previous 3 weeks. No differences in formal examination score were found between arms I-1 and I-2 (p = 0.817). These findings suggest that an interim assessment during a small group work session in a randomized study setting stimulates students to increase their formal examination score.

Pragmatic strategies in English as an academic lingua franca: Ways of achieving communicative effectiveness?

This paper will report the findings of a study that has investigated spoken English as a lingua franca (ELF) usage in Swedish higher education. The material comprises digital recordings of lectures and student group-work sessions, all being naturally occurring, authentic high-stakes spoken exchange, i.e. from non-language-teaching contexts. The aim of the present paper, which constitutes a part of a larger study, has been to investigate the role pragmatic strategies play in the communicative effectiveness of English as a lingua franca. The paper will document types of pragmatic strategies as well as point to important differences between the two speech event types and the implications of these differences for English-medium education. The findings show that lecturers in ELF settings make less frequent use of pragmatic strategies than students who deploy these strategies frequently in group-work sessions. Earlier stages of the present study ( Björkman, 2008a, 2008b, 2009) showed that despite frequent non-standardness in the morphosyntax level, there is little overt disturbance in student group-work, and it is highly likely that a variety of pragmatic strategies that students deploy prevents some disturbance. It is reasonable to assume that, in the absence of appropriate pragmatic strategies used often in lectures, there is an increased risk for covert disturbance.

Teaching tips for school nurses: Reflecting on a session

In the third article of a series on teaching tips for delivering PSHE, for school nurses with no previous classroom experience, Paul Ainsworth explains the importance of reflecting on a group work session.

Nottingham systematic review course

The course is hosted by the Cochrane Schizophrenia Group for those interested in undertaking reviews of randomised trials. The Cochrane Schizophrenia Group is part of the Cochrane Collaboration, an international, non-profit organisation that publishes systematic reviews of healthcare interventions. New reviewers are encouraged to attend this course. It is not specialty specific and will attract anyone wishing to do a Cochrane style review. This was a four day course that involved small group work, interactive tutorials, workshops, and practical computer sessions. The first two days were a gentle introduction to the Cochrane Collaboration, focusing on developing and writing a …

Supporting group work in Scottish primary classrooms: improving the quality of collaborative dialogue

A large body of research has demonstrated the value of fostering peer interaction in the context of collaborative group work as an effective strategy to facilitate learning. The present study attempted to enable teachers in a varied sample of 24 Scottish primary classrooms to improve the quality of collaborative group work interaction among their pupils. Observations were carried out at three time points during the year of the intervention, both during whole class teaching and planned group work activity. A global rating instrument was also used to evaluate the overall quality of classroom environment created by participating class teachers to support group work sessions. The results showed significant increases both in the observed frequencies of children's collaborative dialogue and in the rated quality of classroom learning environments over the course of the study. The implications of these results are discussed in the context of current curricular reform.

The recovery group

In this paper we describe the contemporary importance of the recovery approach in mental health services. Recovery is one of the main service drivers. Thus far, much of the focus has been on individuals and their unique recovery journeys. Groupwork, may have a key role to play in the continued development of the recovery approach. We present the Recovery Group, an innovative approach to involving service users in recovery. A 'colour piece' illustrates a single groupwork session. If clinicians and policy makers are to truly place service users centre stage in the recovery process, more innovative methods of engagement are needed.

The Effect of Reminiscence Group Work on Life Satisfaction, Self‐Esteem and Mood of Ageing People with Intellectual Disabilities

Background This study evaluates the effects of reminiscence group work on the subjective well‐being of ageing people with intellectual disabilities.Methods The content of the successive group work sessions was manipulated as follows: a control‐phase with three ‘current topics’ sessions, an experimental phase with six ‘reminiscence’ sessions and finally three ‘current topics’ sessions. Life satisfaction, perceived self‐competence and mood were measured by questionnaires, filled in by the participants and direct support workers.Results A quasi‐experimental pre‐test–post‐test design (n = 41) did not detect any changes in life satisfaction and perceived self‐competence. For mood, a quasi‐experimental ABA‐design (n = 41) did not yield an experimental treatment effect, but a significant increase in scores was observed over time. Personality characteristics ‘extraversion’ and ‘emotional stability’, but not memory specificity were found to be significant covariates for the mood scores.Conclusion Although the study’s design did not allow us to confirm the effect of reminiscence group work, the analysis nonetheless revealed some useful indications for further research. Also, interviews conducted before and after the programme resulted in positive appraisals of the programme as a worthwhile and meaningful activity for ageing people with intellectual disability.

Effects of computer collaborative group work on peer acceptance of a junior pupil with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

The study investigated the effects of computer collaborative group work, facilitated by an adult, on peer acceptance of a junior boy with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). It aimed to ascertain whether collaborative group work on a computer, with the facilitation of an adult, could help to raise his peer acceptance among his classmates. Data were gathered before and after computer group work sessions. Interviews and questionnaires were conducted on parents and teachers to help establish the history background data and their concerns on the boy’s peer acceptance. Sociometrics testing of classmates was used to determine peer acceptance among the boy’s immediate peer group. During the adult-facilitated computer sessions, the facilitator reinforced positive social behaviour and interactions. After the computer sessions, interviews and questionnaires were conducted again on parents, teachers and facilitator in an attempt to capture information on the child’s behaviour and attitudes during the computer sessions. Sociometrics testing was also conducted again to determine if the peer acceptance among the boy’s immediate peer group has changed. The results indicated encouraging improvements in the raise of his peer acceptance among his classmates in general. Although this was a discrete setting, the finding is promising and this strategy may be replicated in school to support mainstream inclusion for children with ADHD.

Reflections on Practicing Student-Staff Collaboration in Academic Research: A Transformative Strategy for Change?

Reflections on Practicing Student-Staff Collaboration in Academic Research: A Transformative Strategy for Change?

What matters most? Predictors of student satisfaction in public health educational courses

The development of primary care trusts, the health protection agency, and non-medical public health (PH) specialists' pathways requires a competent PH workforce to be in place. Hence, the quality of education and training of PH workers is increasingly critical. With the diversity of courses and programmes that contribute to building a competent PH workforce, few studies have examined the satisfaction of students (and reasons for it) on educational PH programmes. The present study investigated the influences that four demographic variables (gender, disability, ethnicity and age bracket) and seven education-related variables (mode of study, academic term, academic level, pre-/postregistration status, entry qualification, qualification aim and class size) have on PH students' perceptions of satisfaction with 18 aspects of their learning. After controlling for the effects of the other variables, five variables explained 32% of the reported satisfaction levels. These were class size, study mode, qualification aim, pre-/postregistration status and academic level. Part-time students on postgraduate programmes are a particularly vulnerable group who may need extra support from PH educators and trainers. For these students, smaller class sizes could be beneficial, and if larger classes are inevitable, smaller group work sessions within the classes is advocated. Equally important is the availability of library resources required for learning, and course materials, handbooks and briefs need to be clear, informative, user friendly and available early in the course. Satisfied students achieved better final grades, reflecting an increased amount of transferable knowledge. The implications of the study findings for research and practice are discussed.

Effects of ICT group work on interactions and social acceptance of a primary pupil with Asperger's Syndrome

AbstractThe aim of this study was to ascertain whether collaborative group work on a computer, facilitated by an adult, could provide a means for a primary schoolboy with Asperger's Syndrome (AS)—moderately‐highly affected in all areas of the “triad of impairments”—to develop appropriate task‐related interactions with his peers. Data were gathered before, during, and after group work sessions. A combination of interviews and questionnaires established background data and concerns of parent and teachers. Sociometric testing of classmates was used to determine social acceptance and friendship grouping among the child's immediate peer group. During the adult‐facilitated ICT sessions an interaction process schedule (IPS) was used to record interactions of the three children involved. The results indicate moderate improvements in the child's ability to interact with his peers, both in social and task‐related contexts, as well as a raised social profile among his classmates in general. Although this was a discrete setting, the findings are encouraging and this strategy may be replicated in schools to support mainstream inclusion for children with AS.

NEWS AND NOTES

NEWS AND NOTES

RAP Therapy: A Group Work Intervention Method for Urban Adolescents

ABSTRACT The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) places a premium on the development of cultural competence among practitioners. To this end, the present study highlights how social work practitioners, specifically group work leaders, can utilize elements of the culture of urban adolescents to develop effective group work intervention strategies. The article compares adolescent participants' perceptions of usefulness of traditional group therapy and similar group work sessions using RAP music as a conduit to support prosocial skills development. A nomenclature of three adolescent groups was tested: violent offenders, status offenders, and a control condition of high school students with no criminal history. Findings were unequivocally in favor of the RAP therapy as a tool for advancing prosocial behavior.