A comparison of group process development in face-to-face and audio teleconference environments

• Main Author: Elliott, Derek Scott
• Other Authors: Memorial University of Newfoundland. Faculty of Education
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 1989
• Subjects: Group counseling; Teleconferencing; Newfoundland studies; University of Newfoundland
• Online Access: http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/ref/collection/theses2/id/99717

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1989. Education Bibliography: leaves 81-87. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not a counselling group conducted on an audio teleconference system would experience a pattern of group process development similar to that purported by the literature for face-to-face groups. -- Since the pattern of process development in face-to-face groups is associated with positive outcomes and there exists literature which indicates this process is necessary for successful group counselling, group process was used as basis for evaluating the success of group counselling procedures via the audio teleconferencing modality. -- The teleconference group in this study consisted of eight undergraduate education students who admitted to high levels of stress regarding classroom teaching. The group was conducted for ten one-hour sessions over the course of five weeks. Each session was audio-taped and rated independently by two raters using the Hill Interaction Matrix-Group, an instrument designed to analyze group process. -- Using participation in the quadrants of the Hill Interaction Matrix Category System (HIM) as an indicator of the similarity of the pattern of group process development in face-to-face and audio teleconference environments, results of the study indicated that the teleconference group revealed patterns of process development in each quadrant of the HIM that were consistent with the patterns reported by the literature for face-to-face groups. The patterns of development in each HIM quadrant also served to indicate that the teleconference group was experiencing developmental phases.