Trust shaping the social relationship of diverse learners in the online education environment

Abstract

Trust is an essential glue that binds diverse groups toward working synergistically. Without trust, it becomes more challenging to achieve engagement and an inclusive environment for learning. As such, this study is about methods of engaging virtual learners and remote workers through teamwork and the building of social relationships in today’s digital and diverse world of higher education. This research specifically focuses on trust to build a better learning environment in online education. Qualitative, open-ended interviewing is used to explore 30 learners’ emergent, interactive, and social construction of trust. Data from the responsive interviews were subjected to several levels of analysis to elicit findings and interpretations. The analysis sheds light on whether learners learn best if they are given a common goal to work interdependently. Sociability is often skipped to achieve outcomes that are common to all group members. Failure to communicate effectively commonly results in a breach of trust, but learners can re-engage in social learning by explaining their behavior. However, repeated breaches of trust, especially among diverse teammates, can cause irreparable damage to the outcome. Implications and recommendations are discussed.