Bruce Wayne Tuckman (November 24, 1938 – March 13, 2016) was an American Psychological Researcher who carried out his research into the theory of
group dynamics
Group dynamics is a system of behaviors and psychological processes occurring within a social group (''intra''group dynamics), or between social groups ( ''inter''group dynamics). The study of group dynamics can be useful in understanding decision- ...
. In 1965, he published a theory known as "
Tuckman's stages of group development".
According to this theory, there are four phases of group development:
Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing. In 1977, he added a fifth stage, named Adjourning.
Tuckman was also known for his research on college students'
procrastination
Procrastination is the action of unnecessarily and voluntarily delaying or postponing something despite knowing that there will be negative consequences for doing so. The word has originated from the Latin word ''procrastinatus'', which itself evo ...
and development of the Tuckman Procrastination Scale (1991).
He served as professor of
educational psychology
Educational psychology is the branch of psychology concerned with the scientific study of human learning. The study of learning processes, from both cognitive and behavioral perspectives, allows researchers to understand individual differences in ...
at
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
, where he founded and directed the Walter E. Dennis Learning Center with the mission of providing students of all backgrounds with strategies for college success that enabled them to enter, excel in, and complete programs of post-secondary education.
To teach students strategies for succeeding in college, he co-authored the textbook, ''Learning and Motivation Strategies: Your Guide to Success'', with Dennis A. Abry and Dennis R. Smith.
Educational background
*
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: 1960 graduated with B.S. Psychology. Born in Surrey.
*
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
: 1962 graduated with M.A. Psychology
*
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
: 1963 graduated with Ph.D. Psychology
*In 1991 Tuckman researched and developed a 32-item Procrastination Scale that measured the degree to which a person procrastinated.
*Professor Tuckman was also an avid runner who wrote the novel ''Long Road to Boston'' (1998).
[Goodreads.com]
Long Road to Boston
/ref>
Bibliography
* Tuckman, Bruce W. (1965
‘Developmental sequence in small groups’, Psychological Bulletin, 63, 384–399
* Tuckman, Bruce W. and Jensen, Mary Ann C. (1977
‘Stages of Small-Group Development Revisited’, Group & Organization Studies, 2(4),419–427
References
* Smith, M. K. (2005). ‘Bruce W. Tuckman – forming, storming, norming and performing in groups, the encyclopaedia of informal education
Retrieved: 2014-07-25
External links
DLC: Founding Director
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tuckman, Bruce
Social psychologists
1938 births
2016 deaths
20th-century American psychologists