Assessing the stages of group development using children's serial group drawings

The research problem that was examined in this study was two-fold. First, was the idea that the stages of group development could be depicted in serial group drawings completed by children who had participated in structured learning groups. Second, was that by using a rating scale that was designed for this purpose, trained objective raters could classify the stages of group development from the serial drawings completed by the children. Fifteen sets of drawings were gathered from fifteen children who had participated in different structured learning groups. These drawings were then analyzed and classified by raters who had been trained to use the rating scale. The rating scale was devised to identify the stages of group development within children's serial drawings. Qualitative data analysis showed that the stages of group development were depicted in some of the sets of serial group drawings. Quantitative data analysis showed that raters were able to use, with limited success, the rating scale designed to classify the drawings into the stages of group development. Many extraneous variables effected the results. These include: the unique characteristics of each child, the leadership style of each counsellor, the varying group topics, the adequacy of the rater training procedure, the objectivity of the raters, and the accuracy of the rating scale. Due to the many extraneous variables, it is clear that methodologically this study leaves many questions unanswered. Further research is necessary to more fully investigate the idea that the stages of group development can be identified within serial group drawings completed by children who have participated in structured learning groups., If further research proves that the stages of group development can be depicted and measured using a rating scale, it will provide group counsellors with a useful tool when evaluating group development.Education, Faculty ofEducational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department ofGraduat