The epistemic challenges, trust and the online collaborative group

Abstract

The use of collaborative learning strategies continues to grow in online environments. The ability to collaborate may, therefore, present epistemic challenges for the students and hinder their capacity to trust their own and their fellow students’ ability to help them learn, and the capacity of the group (as a whole) to grow and develop. The purpose of this study is to: examine the students’ experiences in OCG groups to understand the ways trust issues manifest in the OCG; the ways these trust issues reflect epistemic challenges; and the strategies that the students use to resolve the trust issues. The study uses a phenomenographic approach, a qualitative interpretative research approach that seeks to illuminate people’s understandings and ideas about the world or their experiences of it. The data analysis revealed that trust—especially as it related to ability—was a persistent issue for the groups with regard to two epistemic challenges: trusting their own capacity to accomplish the task; and trusting the knowledge and skills of their peers.