Collaborative Problem Solving Measures in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)

Abstract

Collaborative problem solving (CPS) is a critical and necessary skill in educational settings and the workforce. The assessment of CPS in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015 focuses on the cognitive and social skills related to problem solving in collaborative scenarios: establishing and maintaining shared understanding, taking appropriate actions to solve problems, and establishing and maintaining group organization. This chapter draws on measures of the CPS domain in PISA 2015 to address the development and implications of CPS items, challenges, and solutions related to item design, as well as computational models for CPS data analysis in large-scale assessments. Measuring CPS skills is not only a challenge compared to measuring individual skills but also an opportunity to make the cognitive processes in teamwork observable. An example of a released CPS unit in PISA 2015 will be used for the purpose of illustration. This study also discusses future perspectives in CPS analysis using multidimensional scaling, in combination with process data from log files, to track the process of students’ learning and collaborative activities.