Purpose To study the literature on collaborative reflection and collaborative knowledge building, this study aims to propose an integrated collaborative reflection model (ICRM) which elaborates the process of collaborative knowledge building through the collaborative reflection process. This proposed ICRM model encompasses two components, i.e. the process of collaborative reflection and its synergy with knowledge building. Design/methodology/approach Design science-based research methodology was used to conceptualize, plan, develop and evaluate the proposed ICRM model of this study. A number of studies on collaborative reflection are critiqued and their outcomes are used to illustrate the theoretical significance and conceptual relevance of the ICRM model for collaborative knowledge building. Findings This paper has proposed a conceptual framework for the ICRM model that illustrates the missing link between collaborative reflection and the collaborative knowledge-building process. Practical implications The conceptual ICRM model presented in this paper will help in the practical application of the collaborative knowledge-building process. The dynamics of the intricate new knowledge-building process discussed in this study will help practitioners and academicians in the field of experiential learning-based collaborative reflection and computer-supported collaborative knowledge building. Originality/value With the proposition of the ICRM model in Part 1, this study has fulfilled an identified conceptual gap in collaborative reflection literature, that is to say, the lack of a conceptual framework to explain the links between collaborative reflection and collaborative knowledge building. Part 2 of this study will present a qualitative and quantitative assessment of the ICRM model using a mixed-method approach.
Salam et al. (2026) studied this question.