Perceptions Of Cohesion Research Articles

Group Cohesion for Enhanced Operation of Agricultural Community-Based Projects in Gauteng Province, South Africa

Collective operation of smallholder farmers and cooperatives has been attributed to many mishaps and malfunctions. Such knowledge creates misperceptions regarding agricultural cooperatives and their usefulness in development. This study investigated member commitment, group cohesion and membership retention in agricultural production cooperatives. The main aim was to identify possible practical measures for enhanced performance and increased sustainability in farmer organizations. Data was collected from 92 participants that were currently operating as cooperative members. A combination of descriptive statistics, Perceived Cohesion (PC) and Binary Logistic Regression methods were employed for analysis. Results of the study indicate that group cohesion is influenced by trust among members, internal communication, financial performance of the cooperative, involvement of members in decision making, and role of the organization in the community. Strategies for increased group cohesion that were recommended in the study include information sharing and transparency at all levels of operation, and collective decision making and planning in organizations.

Ethnic diversity and cohesion in interdependent youth sport contexts

Team sports are a group environment in which individuals from various backgrounds often come together in pursuit of a common goal. Building on the findings of recent research that examined the effects of ethnic diversity in professional and intercollegiate sport contexts, we examined the association between ethnic diversity and youth athletes' perceptions of cohesion in interdependent sport teams (e.g., soccer), and tested ethnic identity as a moderator of this relationship. Multilevel analysis of data from 272 youth athletes nested within 24 teams revealed that ethnic diversity negatively predicted both task and social dimensions of cohesion, but ethnic identity did not emerge as a moderating variable. These findings are divergent from recent work that examined similar relationships in intercollegiate contexts. This highlights the complexity, and the importance, of examining the effects of ethnic diversity on team functioning-oriented variables at different levels of sport competition. Although replication studies are necessary to understand the reliability of the current findings, our study provides insight into the effects of ethnic diversity in youth sport and emphasizes pertinent developmental processes (e.g., identity formation) that scholars should take into consideration in future research.

PERCEPTION OF COHESION IN INTERACTIVE SPORTS TEAMS

The aim of this study is to examine the perception of cohesion in highly interdependent sports teams, compare cohesion in different sports, and then compare social and task cohesion. The participants were 205 professional sports players in the city of Belgrade, Serbia. They are engaged in five different sports: Football/soccer, basketball, volleyball, handball, and water polo. The Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ) was used to collect the data. All the analyses were carried out with the SPSS 22 statistical software. The results have shown moderately-high levels of all four aspects of cohesion (Group Integration-Task, Group Integration-Social, Individual Attractions to the Group-Task, and Individual Attractions to the Group-Social) in all sports. Overall, perception of task cohesion is higher than perception of social cohesion. The study also reveals that the type of sport played impacts the level of cohesion, with basketball players having the highest scores of all.

Coming together or coming apart? Changes in social cohesion during the Covid-19 pandemic in England

ABSTRACT This paper explores the potential impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on people’s perceptions of cohesion in their local communities; particularly for vulnerable groups/communities, such as ethnic minorities or those living in highly deprived neighbourhoods. To this end, we examine both trends over time in overall levels of cohesion as well as patterns of positive and negative changes experienced by individuals using nationally representative data from Understanding Society Study. We test whether rates of positive-/negative-change in cohesion over the pandemic-period differed across socio-demographic groups and neighbourhood characteristics. These trends are then compared to patterns of positive-/negative-change over time experienced in earlier periods to test whether the pandemic was uniquely harmful. We show that the overall levels of social cohesion are lower in June 2020 compared to all of the examined pre-pandemic periods. The decline of perceived-cohesion is particularly high in the most deprived communities, among certain ethnic minority groups and among the lower-skilled. Our findings suggest that the pandemic put higher strain on social-resources among vulnerable groups and communities, who also experienced more negative changes in other areas of life.

Using a Personal-Disclosure Mutual-Sharing Approach to Deliver a Team-Based Mindfulness Meditation Program to Enhance Cohesion

In an effort to increase perceptions of cohesion among intercollegiate soccer players, a team-based mindfulness meditation program was undertaken. This team-building program was delivered by using a personal-disclosure mutual-sharing approach. A total of 31 female intercollegiate soccer players from two teams participated. Assigned to the intervention condition was a Canadian intercollegiate team (U Sports), while the control condition was an American intercollegiate team (NCAA, Division II). The participants completed a measure of cohesion (Group Environment Questionnaire) pre- and postintervention. Controlling for the preintervention scores, the 8-week team-based mindfulness meditation program resulted in significantly higher perceptions of social cohesion for the intervention group compared with the control group at postintervention. However, there were no significant differences in task cohesion between the intervention and control groups at postintervention. Using personal disclosure, mutual sharing seems a viable approach by which to deliver a team-based mindfulness meditation program to enhance a team’s social cohesion.

Examining the Influence of Human Capital on Employees’ Innovative Work Behaviour: A Moderated Serial Mediation Model

Organisations invest in human capital to achieve favourable organisational performance. The purpose of this research is to explain how organisational human capital investments influence an individual’s human capital and innovative work behaviour (IWB). Drawing on Social Exchange Theory and its subset Affect Theory of Social Exchange, this study empirically examines how the human resource management activity of human capital investments manifests at the individual level by developing and testing a moderated serial mediation model. A total of 115 employees working in a diverse set of industries, such as service, manufacturing, information technology, consultancy and education, who had received at least one training from their current employer, participated in the survey. The participants completed five standardized, valid and reliable instruments. SPSS was employed for data analysis. Hypotheses were tested using regression analysis. Results show that both gratitude and knowledge management mediate the relationship between human capital and IWB and the moderating effects of job characteristics. This study extends current literature and integrates macro–micro human capital by exploring how and when human capital leads to the generation of micro social orders. The concept of micro social orders refers to repeated interactions (exchange frequency), emotional reactions, perceptions of cohesion and affective sentiments of a group/organisation due to social structures. This research also highlights how managers can establish positive reciprocity obligations and enhance employees’ gratitude that helps to achieve IWB.

Is there an optimal level of positive and negative feedback in group therapy? A response surface analysis.

Interpersonal feedback is an important process in group therapy. Feedback can be both positive and negative, and group researchers have noted the importance of both positive and negative feedback in fostering cohesive groups and evoking behavioral change (Yalom & Leszcz, 2005). However, there is a paucity of research examining the amount and valence (i.e., positive and negative) of interpersonal feedback on group therapy process and outcomes. Therefore, this study tested the proposition that congruent and high levels of members' perceptions of positive and negative feedback was optimal for member's perceptions of cohesion and improvement in group therapy. Data for this study consisted of 168 members across 43 interpersonal process therapy groups. Polynomial regression and response surface analysis revealed that members' perceptions of congruent and high levels of positive and negative interpersonal feedback were positively associated with members' perceptions of group cohesion and improvement. In addition, members' perceptions of discrepant high positive feedback and low negative feedback were positively associated with members' perceptions of group cohesion and improvement. These findings suggest that members' perceptions of balanced and high amounts of positive and negative feedback, as well as discrepant high positive feedback and low negative feedback, are optimal in group therapy. Group leaders should attend to the amount and proportion of positive and negative member-member feedback in therapy groups to enhance the clinical benefit of these services. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

How socialization tactics relate to role clarity, cohesion, and intentions to return in soccer teams

Socialization tactics for integrating newcomers into sport teams can be key to the evolution of relationships within the group and can lead to positive or negative consequences throughout the season. For this reason, across two studies with distinct contexts, we sought to unpack the mechanisms through which socialization tactics are related to group and individual outcomes. Study 1 examined the relation between socialization tactics and cohesion, and examined role clarity as a potential mediator of this relation with 170 national-level soccer players. We observed a strong positive association between socialization tactics and cohesion, with role clarity mediating the relation between socialization tactics and Group Integration – Task. Study 2 analyzed the relation between socialization tactics (measured at T1) and intentions to return (measured at T2), with cohesion perceptions (measured at T1) as a mediator of this relation. Results from the responses of 214 club-level soccer players indicated that that Individual Attractions to the Group–Task helped explain the socialization tactics-intentions to return relation. As the arrival of new team members is a persistent and consequential occurrence for team dynamics in sport, our results provide insight into how socialization tactics relate to a range of key individual athlete perceptions about their sport experiences.

Quality of life of prostate cancer (PCa) patients with testosterone deficiency symptoms (TDS) before initiation of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist therapy: Subgroup analysis of EQUINOXE study.

232 Background: Both PCa and TDS risk increase with age. Patients may therefore suffer from both conditions, and their quality of life (QoL) be reduced. Unexpectedly, multivariate analysis of the EQUINOXE study (NCT02630641) identified baseline TDS as a significant factor improving QoL after 6 months of GnRH agonist therapy. We therefore aim to analyze baseline parameters of this subgroup. Methods: EQUINOXE was a French prospective, multicenter, non-interventional study. Urologists recruited partner-patient couples with PCa for whom androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) was indicated. Data were collected at inclusion and after 6 months of treatment, on QoL (WHOQOL-BREF), perception of disease (B-IPQ), symptoms of the disease (QLQ-PR25) and perception of cohesion within the patient-partner relationship (dyadic adjustment, DAS-16). TDSat baseline, determined by QLQ-PR25 “treatment related symptoms” score ≥25/100, was the main parameter identified by multivariate analysis in improvement of QoL (OR [95% CI]: 3.0 [1.46, 6.17]. Post hoc subgroup analysis was made to compare baseline parameters of patients with and without TDS. Results: 487 patients were included in this analysis, 26% of whom had TDS at baseline. Symptoms were (quite a bit or very much): feeling of less masculinity (55.2%), hot flushes (41%), weight gain (40.1%) and enlarged nipples (23.1%). Patients with TDS were slightly older than those without TDS (75.3±8.3vs 73.8±8y.o), had significantly worse performance Status (0-1-2+ in 37.0-45.7-17.3% vs 52.8-36.4-10.8%, p=0.0153) and suffered more frequently from recurrent PCa (35.7% vs 24.7%, p=0.0175). Symptoms other than urinary and sexual (but including asthenia) were more frequent (p=0.0126). All dimensions of WHOQOL-BREF were rated significantly worse. Total score of illness (B-IPQ) was worse: 42.2±8.2 vs39.1±9.4, p=0.0040. Cohesion in the couple (DAS score) was worse: 98.6±22.3 vs107.3±20.9, p=0.0006. Conclusions: Patients with TDS experienced at baseline a worse cohesion of the couple and a lower QoL than patients without TDS but benefited relatively more from ADT in term of QoL. Clinical trial information: NCT02630641.

Taking Social Cohesion to Task: Perceptions of Transgender Military Inclusion and Concepts of Cohesion

AbstractRecent political debates over the inclusion of transgender servicemembers in the US military center around the impact such inclusion will have on unit cohesion and effectiveness. Missing from the debate, however, are the perceptions of those who do the soldiering. What are their perceptions of cohesion? Do they, like political leaders and the general public, believe unit cohesion leads to military effectiveness? In other words, how much does the narrative at the elite level—that insists excluding minority groups is a military necessity—match the perceptions of those who serve? Drawing on an original survey of 151 current and former members of the US military, our results suggest that servicemembers’ perceptions mirror those in the general public: political ideology is correlated with beliefs that minority groups disrupt unit cohesion. We find that conservatives are more likely to believe that the inclusion of transgender soldiers will negatively impact cohesion and undermine unit effectiveness. Moreover, conservatives are more likely to endorse a conceptualization of cohesion that hinges on the social—“people like me” or “band of brothers”—dynamics of cohesion rather than more professional, task-oriented conceptions of cohesion. However, military experience affects these perceptions: respondents with combat experience, who held/hold a higher rank, and who are currently serving are more likely to endorse a task-based conception of cohesion that ties cohesion to professionalism and competence, rather than social identity.

570 Improving Endoscopy Staff Professional Satisfaction and Employment Retention Through Clinical Educational Didactic

INTRODUCTION: High nursing turnover has long been recognized as a fiscally and emotionally costly phenomenon in gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy units. Previous studies suggest high turnover may be partly attributed to job-related stress in GI endoscopy units and lack of educational opportunities. A retrospective review of nursing turnover rate in 2016 at Mayo Clinic Florida GI endoscopy unit found the turnover rate to be 25%, which is twice the average of other departments at the clinical site. We aimed to reduce endoscopy staff turnover rate to less than 25% and improve job satisfaction by improving knowledge of GI diseases through structured didactic sessions. METHODS: A descriptive correlational study of the impact of a six-month long optional educational curriculum on professional quality of life and employee turnover was performed. All endoscopy nurses and technicians employed at Mayo Clinic in Florida were recruited, but both study enrollment and participation were blinded and voluntary. Data on clinical gastroenterological knowledge and surveys on professional satisfaction and team cohesion were collected at the initiation of the curriculum and at one month after completion. Pre and post intervention knowledge scores were compared using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. The annual percentage of turnover was estimated by the Wilson score confidence interval. RESULTS: All available GI nurses and endoscopy technicians (n = 71) were invited to participate. 40 (56.3%) participants completed only the initial survey, 30 (42.3%) only the second survey, and 16 (22.9%) both surveys. Of those who completed both surveys, median quiz scores improved by 2 questions for those that attended 6 or more lectures (P = 0.017). There was a trend towards increased professional satisfaction on the modified perceived cohesion scale in participants who attended 6 or more lectures (P = 0.095). For participants who have worked in the unit for less than 1 year, the estimated turnover is 14% (6 – 38%, P > 0.05) and 24% (11 – 45%, P >0.05) for those who have worked longer than 1 year. CONCLUSION: Though limited by sample size, there is a trend towards improved job satisfaction for participants that completed all surveys and a reduction in turnover rate for staff who have worked in the unit for less than one year. This study suggests potential benefit in knowledge, professional satisfaction, and turnover for those offered voluntary education.

Immigration and Ethnic Diversity in England and Wales Examined Through an Area Classification Framework

This paper develops an area classification to examine immigration, ethnic diversity, and its social consequences in local authorities of England and Wales. Using a set of demographic, socio-economic, and migration variables drawn from survey and administrative data and cluster analysis methods, it produces a 12-fold classification of local authorities. The classification includes groups of traditional immigrant settlement areas with high flows of migrants of different migration streams and nationalities, smaller urban, and semi-rural areas with high migration rates associated with a dominant migrant group, as well as areas with migration rates close to the national average or below average migration rates. By taking into account the nuances of diversity and immigration and the local socio-economic context in which migrants settle, the classification provides a useful framework towards understanding the different ways immigration can impact on social cohesion and how local policies can be more responsive to the needs of local populations. Examination of attitudes to immigration, perceptions of cohesion, and social mixing suggests that less ethnically diverse local authorities with a dominant migrant group and socio-economically deprived local authorities are most at risk of experiencing higher pressures on social cohesion.

PERCEPÇÕES DE COESÃO E HIERARQUIA FAMILIAR EM PESSOAS VIVENDO COM HIV/SIDA

PERCEPÇÕES DE COESÃO E HIERARQUIA FAMILIAR EM PESSOAS VIVENDO COM HIV/SIDA

A Season-Long Goal-Setting Intervention for Elite Youth Basketball Teams

The current study involved a season-long team goal-setting intervention within an elite youth sport population. Participants were 75 male basketball players (Mage = 16.23 years, SD = 1.40) from 6 teams that were randomly assigned to team goal-setting (n = 3) or no-treatment control (n = 3) conditions. The intervention condition received a 3-stage team goal-setting program throughout the season, whereas no systematic program was delivered to the control teams. All participants completed questionnaires assessing perceptions of team cohesion and motivational climate at 3 time-points throughout the season (beginning, midseason, end-season). Data were first analyzed using a multivariate analysis of covariance to determine differences in cohesion and motivational climate throughout the season, with pretest scores and age included as covariates. In addition, a series of multiple mediation analyses were conducted to determine whether motivational climate mediated the relationship between preseason and postseason cohesion perceptions. Findings suggest that although perceptions of cohesion remained constant for the control condition teams, those in the intervention condition experienced a decrease throughout the season. In addition, increase in ego-involving climate within the intervention group negatively affected the cohesion perceptions throughout the season; however, task-involving motivational climate decreased for teams in the intervention condition. These results highlight the importance of accounting for additional variables when conducting team-building interventions, and findings are discussed in relation to their implications for the literature, in concert with practical implications and future directions.Lay Summary: This study extends the team-building literature by conducting a season-long goal-setting intervention in elite youth sport. In recognizing previously identified limitations within the field, the intervention involved both direct and indirect delivery methods, was conducted across the entire season, and included additional constructs beyond cohesion and a control condition.

The impact of group cohesion on key success measures in higher education

ABSTRACTHigher education institutions (HEIs) are increasingly being measured using key performance indicators (KPIs) such as student retention, success, achievement and attendance. There is a dearth of research focusing on group dynamics within classroom settings, with very little focusing on cohesion. There is, however, evidence, in organisational and sports settings, that cohesion can have a positive impact upon performance and adherence to group activities. More cohesive classes may therefore result in improved performance in higher education (HE) . This study aimed to examine whether group cohesion was related to markers of student success in higher education (HE) classes in three English colleges. Participants were 107 first-year sports students who completed the Perceived Cohesion Scale for Small Groups (PCS) at the end of semesters one and two. Responses were correlated with student attendance, success, achievement and retention. Results indicated that attendance was positively correlated with cohesion (r = 0.4, p = 0.01), but no other relationships emerged. The effect sizes were higher in semester two than in semester one, which suggests that cohesion may develop over time in student groups. The findings indicate that cohesion may be important to enhance attendance at colleges and that building cohesion should be a priority for classroom managers.

Perceiving Social Cohesion: Movement Synchrony and Task Demands Both Matter.

Previous research has shown that interpersonal synchrony is associated with a number of prosocial effects. We investigated the respective roles of behavioural synchrony and perceived task demands on perceptions of cohesion by performing two experiments in which participants viewed pairs of point-light figures engaging in four coordinated behaviours. Behaviours were seen twice, once in perfect in-phase synchrony and once with synchrony manipulated (phase shift: 180° in Experiment 1 and 45°, 90°, 270°, and 315° in Experiment 2). Dyads were rated on perceived exertion and perceived social cohesion. Results indicate that in-phase synchrony is associated with higher levels of perceived cohesion and that perceived exertion is a good predictor of cohesion ratings. Two interactions suggest that the effect is not purely perceptual and that participants observing coordinated movement also make inferences about the intentions of those observed. Results are discussed and future directions suggested.

Authoritarianism, trauma, and insecure bonds during the Greek economic crisis

This correlational study investigated the link between authoritarian attitudes, psychosocial trauma, and attachment insecurity in the context of a significant community and personal threat – the recent economic crisis in Greece. The study utilised a large community sample and five self-report measures - Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale-S, Social Group Attachment Scale, Relationship Questionnaire, Perceived Cohesion Scale, and Impact of Events Scale-R. It was hypothesised that authoritarianism would be independently linked with insecurity in two types of bond (person-to-person and person-to-state) via the experience of post-traumatic stress and perceptions of social cohesion. Structural Equation Modelling indices suggested that the model had a very good fit.

Future Reserves 2020: perceptions of cohesion, readiness and transformation in the British Army Reserve

ABSTRACT The British Army Reserve, and in particular its logistics component, is currently undergoing profound organisational transformation as part of the Future Reserves 2020 (FR20) program. Yet, to date there has been no sustained quantitative analysis of perceptions of cohesion, readiness and morale in the Army Reserve. Moreover, there has been little quantitative examination of FR20’s impact to date. This paper addresses these gaps in the literature by undertaking an examination of the above variables using survey data from a representative sample of AR logistics soldiers collected longitudinally. It finds that cohesion is highly important in explaining variance in perceptions of readiness and morale, and that perceptions of cohesion, readiness and morale are relatively high in the force. Nevertheless, the data indicates that FR20 has failed to increase these significantly over time. Similarly, it finds that confidence in FR20 delivering increased military capability is also declining. These findings are important for understanding FR20’s impact to date and future trajectory.

Social Presence in Massive Open Online Courses

The capacity to foster interpersonal interactions in massive open online courses (MOOCs) has frequently been contested, particularly when learner interactions are limited to MOOC forums. The establishment of social presence—a perceived sense of somebody being present and “real”—is among the strategies to tackle the challenges of online learning and could be applied in MOOCs. Thus far, social presence in MOOCs has been under-researched. Studies that previously examined social presence in MOOCs did not account for the peculiar nature of open online learning. In contrast to the existing work, this study seeks to understand how learners perceive social presence, and the different nuances of social presence in diverse MOOC populations. In particular, we compare perceptions of social presence across the groups of learners with different patterns of forum participation in three edX MOOCs. The findings reveal substantial differences in how learners with varying forum activity perceive social presence. Perceptions of social presence also differed in courses with the varying volume of forum interaction and duration. Finally, learners with sustained forum activity generally reported higher social presence scores that included low affectivity and strong group cohesion perceptions. With this in mind, this study is significant because of the insights into brings to the current body of knowledge around social presence in MOOCs. The study’s findings also raise questions about the effectiveness of transferring existing socio-constructivist constructs into the MOOC contexts.

Perceived Cohesion in Military Student Groups

Abstract The purpose of this study is to examine the psychometric structure of the Perceived Cohesion Scale (PCS). For this, we applied that scale version that was adapted by Chin, Salisbury, Pearson, & Stollak for small groups because we considered that the formulation of the items is very well suited to the type of group represented by the military student platoon. The results of our study support the two-factor structure of the scale proposed by its authors. Both identified factors have demonstrated adequate levels of reliability. This scale proves to be a useful tool in measuring the cohesion of military student groups