Do the Participants Have to Make Strategic Decisions?
Participants in an activity should not be able to rely on a single “trump” skill to overcome every challenge presented to them. Rather, participation should entail strategic decision-making that ultimately determines an outcome. A choice-rich environment is more interesting than a straight-up test of a single skill because decision-making enhances the perception of control over the outcome. Another reason, which applies to group work in particular, is that a choice-rich environment increases opportunity for participation. For example, if English aptitude were all that was required to successfully complete a cloze challenge, then students working in pairs or groups would have a very strong incentive to over-rely on the member with the highest level of English aptitude. However, if a pair or group were required to call on a range of skills, and further required to make strategic decisions as to which skill to employ at various points in the activity, then there would be more chances for
