Are Group Leader Knowledge Structures Related to Member Satisfaction With the Leader?

Abstract

Knowledge structures are people’s ways of organizing the concepts in a domain. Educational effectiveness can be documented by examining changes in novices’ knowledge structures. Studies show that group counseling trainees begin to structure their knowledge of group members and group leader interventions in a manner similar to the knowledge structure of experienced group counselors. This research assumes that trainees with knowledge structures more similar to experienced practitioners will be more effective group leaders. We tested this assumption and found that group members were more satisfied when the trainee’s knowledge structure of group counseling leader interventions converged with the knowledge structure of experienced group therapists.