Group formation for minimizing bullying probability. A proposal based on genetic algorithms

Abstract

Bullying is a problem that needs to be considered in the early stages of group formation. Unfortunately, as far as we are aware, there is not known procedure helping teachers to cope with this problem. It has been established that, in a certain group, a specific configuration in the students distribution affects the behavior among them. Based on this fact, we propose the use of genetic algorithms for helping in students distribution in a classroom, taking into account elements like leadership traits among other features. The sociogram is a technique that teachers have been using for years for supporting group formation. The sociogram is a sociometric diagram representing the pattern of relationships among individuals in a group, usually expressed in terms of which persons they prefer to associate with. This work combines the concepts of genetic algorithms and sociograms, that can be easily represented by means of relationships graphs. A set of tests is applied to the students to collect relevant data, and results can be validated with the help of specialists. © 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.