The Adverse Power of Conflictual Presence in Social Learning

• In Event: Social Presence in Online Learning: Extending the Research Conversation on Definitions, Learning, Conflict, Identity, and Othering

Abstract

Social presence is interrelated with one’s sense of self within specific contexts. In the extant literature, social presence is often referred as the level of self-projection as a real person and emotional connection with others in mediated communication. This concept has been understood as a carrier of positive valence (Lowenthal, 2009). Social presence has connotations of interpersonal connection, warmness, belongingness, and group identification (Picciano, 2002; Rogers & Lea, 2005).

Interactions in any social contexts does not always lead to positive emotions and feelings but can trigger tension and even escalated anger at times (Deutsch, 1973). Therefore, the understanding of social interactions in online environment is incomplete if we only talk about the positive end of the spectrum of emotions and feelings and simply ignore the “dark side”. Conflictual presence is established when the perception of being real and there is formed through the experience of uncertainty, distress, and antagonism (Darnon & Butera, 2007). Like social presence, conflictual presence is latent and inherent in social learning. Under the theoretical framework of presence, there is the social presence on one end representing positive interpersonal connections, and there is the conflictual presence on the other end representing the negative valence of social interactions. Both are innate within social learning. They interact with each other forming the culture of learning community. Conflicts in online interactions are often subtle, covert, and unpredictable, but the adverse impact of these interactions, especially when they escalate, can have potentially far reaching impact on class culture, undermining learning, and cannot be ignored. They can alter the direction of class conversations and orient students’ interactions toward social comparison instead of mastery of learning content.

In this presentation, the authors will synthesize two recent studies investigating the nature and the impact of conflictual presence in the context of online classes. Study one examined an authentic online learning phenomenon where social conflict, including harsh critique and negative tone, weaved throughout peer-moderated online discussions in an online class. The results revealed that a model of social conflict evolution, that is, social conflict within the learning community evolved through five general phases including cultural initiation, social harmonization cycle, escalation of conflict, intervention and stabilization, and adjourning (Xie, Miller, & Allison, 2013). Study two examined how conflictual presence, social presence, and identity negotiation were intertwined and interacted through the theoretical lens of socially situated identity. The results reveal that students craft their discourses to fashion themselves as a certain kind of facilitator and participant. Implicit and explicit identity negotiation is ubiquitous in discursive interactions and can lead to tension and conflictual socio-relations at times. (Xie, Lu, Cheng, & Izmirli, 2017).

The authors will conclude the presentation with a discussion on (1) the conceptualization and definition of conflictual presence, (2) possible measures of conflictual presence, as well as (3) the future directions of research on conflictual presence in social learning.

Authors

• Kui Xie, The Ohio State University

• Shonn Cheng, National Taipei University of Technology

• Lin Lu, The Ohio State University