Collaboratively Conscious: An Examination of Disposition as a Determinant for Classroom Collaborative Problem Solving

Collaborative problem solving (CPS) has emerged as a critical competency in 21st-century education, reflecting broader pedagogical shifts toward student-centered learning environments. As classrooms increasingly emphasize collaboration, understanding the factors that influence students’ engagement and success in CPS has become essential for both educators and researchers. This quantitative research study employed secondary data analysis to examine the dispositions of high school students regarding collaborative problem solving in classroom contexts, and further explored relationships between learning variables and beliefs. Data are drawn from questionnaires of the U.S. sample of students who participated in the 2015 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Specifically, this study focuses on the classroom experiences of U.S. students with dispositions toward activities within clinical classroom peer groups. Results indicated that while participants exhibited overall favorable views of collaborative problem solving, responses were interpreted as more variable and may reflect shifting ideologies regarding collaborative problem solving as a classroom learning construct. Furthermore, results suggested differences in disposition based on gender and grade-level of students. Interestingly, books per household had little effect on dispositions of students. Keywords: collaborative problem solving, pedagogy, disposition, PISA DOI: 10.7176/JEP/17-3-09 Publication date: March 28th 2026