Title
An analysis of student collaborative problem solving activities mediated by collaborative simulations.
Abstract
Collaborative problem solving (CPS) is considered as one of the core competencies of the 21st century. Collaborative simulations which allow multiple students to participate in CPS activities in a shared simulation session are now increasingly applied to better facilitate these activities. However, the literature has shown that students' collaboration often does not lead to an effective solution to problems. Guided by the PISA CPS framework, this study thus aimed to analyze students’ collaboration patterns and problem solving strategies in solving a physics problem, and to identify significant patterns which may lead to a successful or unsuccessful outcome. Multiple data sources including group discussions, problem solving activities in a collaborative simulation, and open-ended questionnaire feedback from 30 high school students were analyzed using the lag sequential analysis technique. It was found that collaborative simulation has the potential to help students situate their discussion in a joint concrete problem space, facilitating their formation of a path to solve the problem. More importantly, the results showed significant differences between the successful and unsuccessful groups in terms of their collaboration patterns and problem solving strategies. A considerable portion of the students could only apply an intuitive trial-and-error strategy, and failed to solve the problem in the end. These students showed an inability to monitor and analyze the problem solving process, and were unable to transform their discussion into an executable plan to solve the problem. Those students who applied analytical reasoning strategies were more likely to achieve a successful problem solving outcome. The implications for educational practice are discussed, and the directions for future studies addressed.
Year
DOI
Venue
2017
10.1016/j.compedu.2017.07.008
Computers & Education
Keywords
Field
DocType
Collaborative problem solving,Science simulation,Lag sequential analysis,Discourse analysis,Collaboration pattern
Multiple data,Core competency,Computer science,Analytic reasoning,Discourse analysis,Collaborative Problem Solving,General Group Problem Solving (GGPS) Model,Management science,Problem space,Executable
Journal
Volume
Issue
ISSN
114
C
0360-1315
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
4
0.53
19
Authors
13
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Chia-Jung Chang116722.53
Ming-Hua Chang242.22
Bing-Cheng Chiu340.53
Chen-Chung Liu449253.96
Shih-Hsun Fan Chiang542.22
Cai-Ting Wen642.22
Fu-Kwun Hwang7305.42
Ying-Tien Wu81059.40
Po-Yao Chao992.00
Chia-Hsi Lai1040.53
Su-Wen Wu1140.53
Chih Kang Chang1251.28
Wenli Chen1343038.53