Development and validation of a questionnaire for collaborative problem solving in students

Problem solving is one of the most important skills that all people, especially students, should learn in order to be able to use it when facing life's challenges and problems. In collaborative problem solving, the work is divided among the members of a group and they use their skills and knowledge to find a suitable solution. The current research was conducted with the aim of creating a standard tool to measure students' collaborative problem solving skills.The present research method was descriptive-correlation type. The statistical population of the study included 2500 Students of Farhangian University of Kerman in the academic year 1401-1400, of which 335 people were selected by random sampling based on Morgan's table. The form and content validity of the questionnaire was checked and confirmed by 5 experts in the field of psychology and its reliability using Cronbach's alpha method and confirmatory factor analysis. Data were analyzed using SPSS-26, LISREL and SmartPLS software.Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the questionnaire was calculated as 0.96. Factor loads of all subscales with relevant items were greater than 0.4, all of which were significant (p <0.001). The values of Cronbach's alpha and the combined reliability coefficient for the subscales were calculated to be more than 0.7, which confirms the internal and external reliability of the subscales. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis indicate a stronger relationship of the subscales of following participation rules, communicating with team members and explaining roles and team organization with collaborative problem solving. Therefore, it can be concluded that the skills of effective communication and teamwork among students are weak and the training of these skills should be included in the agenda of schools and universities.