Collaborative problem solving is one skillset that has been identified as of interest as a
21st century skill. It is a skillset that has not sat clearly in one particular field of research.
It has been of interest in health, psychiatry and social welfare contexts human resources and team building contexts; and most recently has emerged in the Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills project and subsequently in the large scale testing area highlighted by OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) initiative. Both these initiatives have moved beyond definition and description to development of assessment methods and tasks Collaborative problem solving is conceptualised as a complex skill requiring both
social and cognitive competencies. It arises from the links between critical thinking,
problem solving, decision making and collaboration – all of which processes are
hypothesised to contribute to the skill.