(1483) PERFORMANCES OF TRUST AMONG LEARNERS IN THE CONTEXT OF ONLINE SOCIAL LEARNING: THE SOCIAL DIMENSION OF ONLINE LEARNING

摘要

Research on online learning indicates that there is still much to be learned before its anticipatedpotential can be reached. Many learners report low satisfaction rates, academic institutions reportinferior student-student interactions and struggle to retain students in online courses, and researchshows mixed results concerning the effectiveness of online learning [1]-[5]. One of the key factorsshaping the success of online learning is the social dimension of online teaching and learning.Researchers have explored the development of communities of learners [6];;the social roles ofteachers and students [7];;the creation of online social presence, social interaction, and transactionaldistance [8]-[11];;and social ability [12] to understand how the social dimension of online learning canbe mediated to improve online learning experiences and outcomes. Although the findings from thesestudies have been helpful, online learning still faces the same challenges in learner satisfaction,retention, social interaction, and quality of learning. A common thread among the research findings isthat the quality of social interaction matters. We hypothesize that trust may be a critical component infacilitating more successful social learning interactions.This paper reports on the preliminary findings of a research study on “Performances of Trust amongLearners in the Context of Online Social Learning: The Social Dimension of Online Learning.” Thepurpose of this study is to gain insights into learners' understandings of trust, their social constructionof trust, and the influence of trusting relationships upon learning in the context of online sociallearning. We focus on the micro-sociological level of social interaction as our unit of analysis and takea qualitative interview approach, which will help develop thick descriptions of learners' understandingsof trust, how trust is socially constructed in their online social interactions, and how trust shapes theirlearning. We use the research findings of previous studies of trust to provide general guidelines, assensitizing concepts, heuristic ideas, to point us in the 'directions along which to look' [13 p. 148) aswe interview online social learners.