What makes peer collaborative problem solving productive or unproductive: A qualitative systematic review

Global demands for collaborative problem solving (CPS) have sparked investigations of peer collaboration in the educational context. The aim of this systematic review was to identify and systematize research findings on (a) characteristics of productive and unproductive face-to-face (f2f) or synchronous CPS via digital devices among adolescents in the educational context, (b) training and scaffolding modalities enabling adolescents to engage in productive CPS, and (c) ways of supporting productive CPS by using digital resources. We conducted a thematic analysis of 160 selected papers from a larger corpus and identified six main themes, that is, groups of characteristics of CPS: socio-cognitive aspects; socio-emotional aspects; the quality of task/problem-solving strategies; regulation of group activity oriented towards the task; regulation of group activity oriented towards group members; and participant engagement in CPS. We found that in efforts to contribute to successful CPS, adults (teachers/researchers) can moderate peer interaction in three ways, by focusing on either cognitive processes, group discussions, or classroom management. Regarding the third goal, we identified two major roles of digital resources in adolescent CPS. The first role pertained to ICT as a source of relevant knowledge or a tool for problem solving and the other role was related to peer collaboration and ICT as a tool for scaffolding collaboration. All characteristics that emerged in this review are discussed and concluding comments refer to educational implications. •A comprehensive systematic review systematizes findings on adolescent CPS.•Findings are the result of a thematic analysis of 160 articles selected according to the PRISMA guidelines.•Six main groups of characteristics of (un)productive adolescent CPS are identified.•Different modalities for supporting productive CPS by adults and digital resources are identified.•Discussion of findings reflects theoretical and educational implications.