Group decision making emerging from thecourse of action. A situated perspective on faceto face computer supported collaborative problemsolving in the classroom

Cultural psychology, linguistic anthropology and sociology of knowledge have demonstrated that cognitive processes do not take place only in individual minds, but depend on the specific task performed, the tools and artefacts mediating the activity and the knowledge distributed among individuals in social contexts (Andriessen, Baker, Suthers, 2003; Cole, 1996; Engeström, 1999; Goodwin, 2003). Thus, cognitive actions, tasks and tools are always part of a system, situated in a larger social context of activity. From this perspective, this article focuses on micro-genetic group decision making (GDM) processes taking place during computer-supported collaborative problem solving activities in the classroom.