IJOSpontaneous Group Decision Making in Distributed Collaborative Learning: A Quantitative Exploratory Study

Literature Review

The following paragraphs summarize major findings from previous studies about student spontaneous GDM activities to provide a context for this study. The reader is referred to Resta and Laferriere (2007) for a comprehensive review of literature on distributed collaborative learning, and to Liu (2010) for development of theoretical concepts related to student spontaneous GDM.

Some researchers alluded to student spontaneous GDM in their discussion of group processes and reported anecdotal observations. In problem-centered collaborative learning, especially where the learning task is to complete a project or solve a problem, students participate in frequent and intensive group interactions in real time to understand the problem, negotiate changes in their perception of the “problem”, and revise solutions as their work progresses (McConnell, 2005). Their interactional activities typically involve defining the problem, identifying relevant parameters, brainstorming solutions, elaborating and evaluating suggested alternatives, selecting solutions, and negotiating a final decision (Kapur & Kinzer, 2007). Evidently, students working on collaborative learning tasks need to make all kinds of decisions as a group throughout the course of collaboration for learning, and spontaneous GDM is a prominent part of their interactive activities.