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trust represents a key aspect in forming a relation and
is as well a key element to ensure that social action oc-
curs (Weber and Carter, 2003). This research aims to
understand how trust can be a prominent factor in bal-
ancing and fostering individuals participation in such
spaces.
2 RESEARCH APPROACH
Due to the complex and dynamic nature of this re-
search settings, this research is build on an ongoing
actions research approach, which contemplates fours
distinct research stages. This research points towards
the need for: (1) contemplate the trust role in support-
ing interactions; and (2) in balancing and fostering
individual’s participation in online learning scenarios.
During phase one we decided to understand the prob-
lem and its context by identifying what is trust and
understanding how e-learning communities are devel-
oped in online distance contexts. Phase two of this
research contemplates the empirical approach to the
problem, it implementation and result analysis and re-
flection. The adopted strategy in this second phase
includes a mixed approach, which explores above ad-
dressed problem in context. More specifically it ad-
dressed two main steps: First, work towards propos-
ing a conceptual model that relates trust with learners’
predisposition interact online. Second, work towards
the design of an empirical approach which aimed to
reflect, evaluate and provide an analysis to the prob-
lem addressed above. This was due to exploring in-
dividual’s trust predisposition and other five trust at-
tributes (proposed in the conceptual model, see figure
1) and establishes their role on building relations, and
underlying attitudes, behaviours and beliefs of an ed-
ucation community.
3 RELEVANT BACKGROUND
This section, explores the theoretical underpinnings
of the structure of the constructs being measure.
It firstly addresses trust notions and then discusses
and describes relevant trust notions associations with
learning online contexts. The multidisciplinary nature
of trust provides several approaches and discussions
on what trust is and what it represents in terms of sus-
tain and support individuals’ social actions. Trust as-
sumes an important role in modern societies. Trust
can be a key factor either in influence people’s confi-
dence in a system; either in influencing the the lack of
or the success of a interpersonal relationship online
(Weber and Carter, 2003). Trust supports and sus-
tain social actions(Coleman, 1988) (Gambetta, 1998)
(Luhmann, 2000). Trust reflects the believe on each
other actions, after considering the risks involved,
even when we cannot control each other actions. Such
beliefs and moral choices shaped our perception of a
situation as "trustworthy" or not (O’Hara, 2009). It
takes into account that other’s actions will not vio-
late the moral standards of the relationship (Weber
and Carter, 2003) (Gambetta, 1998). As well can
influences (positively or not) our behaviors and atti-
tudes. Influencing for example their predisposition
to relate, cooperate, share and participate in a given
context. From a learning perspective, the increased
omnipresence of social network services and commu-
nities makes the learning process no longer seen as a
passive activity. Internet became a hub of socializa-
tion what transformed learning process. Transformed
as well the way we relate and socialize. This changes
are influenced by the perceptions of trust in this vir-
tual environments. Again, online learning driven con-
text implies a degree of self-learning, and a need to
be more prepared to participate in the learning pro-
cess by sharing, interacting, collaborate and cooper-
ate. But this socio-technical tools and services pro-
vided for learning can be perceived differently from
situation to situation and this tools and services or
learning process can no longer assume the participa-
tion is for granted, if not this can lead communities
initiatives empty and dissent. Learning must emerges
from interactions between individuals and their net-
works; between individuals and their social situa-
tion; between individuals and their physical activities
(learning instructions and media artifacts) (Swan and
Shea, 2005). In that context people learn by share
opinions, values, norms, beliefs and language. People
work together (provide collaborative actions), which
results in transference of knowledge and way of do-
ing things (Lave and Wenger, 1990) (Mishra, 1996)
(Preece and Shneiderman, 2009) (Brown, 2000). As
a consequence of this differences on personal per-
ceptions more emphasis needs to be addressed to the
course design, planning and learners guidance (Wil-
son et al., 2006) (Attwell, 2007). But we believe that
more focus should remain in attain learners needs,
rather than only on the content. Inflexible learning
scenarios could block learners from experimenting,
be creative and could lead to frustration, preventing
them to be motivated to learn. Individual and col-
lective interactions are sustained and fostered by me-
dia affordances (social media tools and social net-
work tools and services) and peoples’ social behav-
iors (providing supportive actions in those learning
spaces) (Swan and Shea, 2005). Efforts should be
THEIMPLICATIONSOFTRUSTONMODERATINGLEARNER'SONLINEINTERACTIONS-ASocio-technical
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