Campus Location

Dallas Campus (Online)

Date of Award

Fall 8-2018

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3725-7523

Document Type

Dissertation

Department

Organizational Leadership

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Committee Chair or Primary Advisor

Dr. Wade Fish

Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor

Dr. Colleen Ramos

Third Committee Member or Committee Reader

Dr. Lawrence Davenport

Abstract

The reduced range of online communication means that less information is available for the parties in a communication to acquire an accurate meaning of words, phrases, or concepts in an exchange process. In online communication, encoded emotional information is often subtle and difficult to interpret with any degree of accuracy; this interpretation is even more difficult in academic discussions that are lacking in emotion. The resulting misunderstandings contribute to a degree of uncertainty and confusion with some students, and to full-blown conflict with others. Uncertainty is problematic because it can inhibit or altogether collapse a conventional trust perception. The most valuable communications, therefore, develop on a foundation of trust. This study was designed to explore swift trust, a lesser form of trust that can form instantly from the initial communications expressed in a community. A swift trust perception can bridge social development and allow communicants to ignore the communication and environmental challenges that impede a conventional form of trust from developing for virtual communities. This quantitative study utilized multiple regression analysis to predict relationships between the predictive variables and examine the criterion variables in focus. The multiple regression analysis was used to interpret the survey data and provide insight into the trust-inducing potential of a fragile swift trust perception for elevating online discussions to a higher level.

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