The role of the interpersonal in online knowledge construction

Unrealised or unrealisable potential?

Abstract

The potential for online discussions and the supportive communities of learners which develop within them to support the collaborative construction of knowledge is often described but not always realised in practice. The reasons for this are not well explained in the literature. To better understand the interplay between social and cognitive aspects of knowledge construction, online interaction three postgraduate online courses in health professional education was studied using a linguistically-based discourse analytical approach. Findings show attention to interpersonal relationships within this public and persistent medium is evident in areas such as asking questions, providing information, citing sources and argumentation and has the potential to disrupt knowledge construction. Other factors such as the ambiguous spoken-written nature of these discussions also play a role, raising the possibility that these tensions may be inherent.