The effect of group size in synchronous collaborative problem solving activities

In reported studies of synchronous collaborative problem solving activities, so far, there are usually groups of two partners involved. In this paper, we focus on groups of larger sizes and study through an authentic educational activity the effect of group size on group performance and patterns of interaction. It has been found that it is possible to design learning activities with group sizes greater than two and that the group size affects performance and interaction. It was discovered that group skill balance in particular is an important aspect in this context. Therefore, the designer of such activities should design carefully the activity in order to get most benefits from the collaborative setting.