Abstract
This study examined whether collaborative problem solving (CPS) skills can be de-
veloped in school through knowledge creation. We collected dialogue data from four
lessons and analyzed how children engage in dialogue. The study subjects were children
who had taken classes with a working-backward approach until the third grade and then
lessons with a working-forward approach from the fourth-grade until graduation. The
longitudinal dialogue data were analyzed in three ways. First, each utterance was coded
as “team-coordination”or “contents-oriented.”Second, we counted the number of cy-
cling processes between understanding and non-understanding based on the framework
of constructive interaction. Finally, we examined the level of understanding based on
the model of social construction of knowledge and understanding. The results suggested
that the children developed their CPS skills through the lessons with a working-forward
approach. This was supported by a cross-sectional study, wherein children were asked
to solve a problem in pairs. The targeted school outperformed other schools with re-
gard to the likelihood of constructive interaction. These longitudinal and cross-sectional
analyses suggest that the frequency of constructive interaction could be an indicator of
CPS skills. This study finally discussed the possibility that accumulative experience of
knowledge creation through constructive interaction in lessons could develop children’s
CPS skills.
