My thematic analysis revealed four key themes. Below, for each theme, I will provide a definition, outline what it encompasses, and share quotes from student interviews to offer deeper insight into their experiences.
Theme 1: Creating conditions for trust
Definition:
The foundational environmental and interpersonal conditions necessary for learners to feel secure enough to share their work and ideas.
Includes:
- Conscious curation of psychological safety through structured activities
- Emotional safety in learning spaces
- Non-judgmental. non-competitive atmosphere
- Comfort in sharing draft work
- Conscious curation of psychological safety through structured activities
Student voice:
“Psychological safety to me means…a space where it’s safe to share your thoughts, which might not be completely formed or factually correct yet.” (Student A)
“When everyone participates, it feels really encouraging to contribute and you feel comfortable.” (Student A)
“There’s no one formula to it, but I think it’s a lot of conscious curation to creating that safe space. You have to almost build up to it.” (Student A)
It would be nice if we encourage , you know the uniqueness of each person, because we’re doing arts, we’re doing creative work. So if we emphasise the, you know, creativities more than, like fame or money or things like that.” (Student B)
“If everyone participates, it feels really encouraging to contribute and you feel comfortable.” (Student B)
“There were moments where I wasn’t sure how my practice would land, like experimenting with something that may or may not be OK.” (Student C)
Theme 2: Structure and empathy
Definition:
The intentional pedagogical frameworks and institutional structures that facilitate safe sharing and learning.
Includes:
- Actively designing opportunities for psychological safety into the curriculum
- Clear instructional design and guidelines
- The role of the tutor in promoting care and empathy
- Consistent feedback mechanisms
- Assessment design that encourages sharing
- Support at the point of need
Student voice:
“I think guidelines are really helpful. When the tutor says we’ll critique just one section, it’s easier to focus and manage feedback sessions.” (Student A)
“The tutors, are really encouraging and really supportive and they’re really nice and they will do some interactions with the with students for example, just put some, you know, emojis in the chat box. That really helps.” (Student B)
“I think the tutors probably need to, you know, put more attentions on each student’s work. They need to know what they’re currently doing at the moment to avoid some plagiarism. And that could be one of the main reason that student, they’re not wanting to share their work.” (Student B)
“It could be a bit intimidating, but I would say the tutor did a good job of making it feel not like that.” (Student C)
“It would help if the university embedded principles of care and empathy in the pre-curriculum or the curriculum itself” (Student C)
“The whole first unit was about who are we, where do we live, what’s going on in our lives right now. The activities were very grounding: asking about the weather or where you live, helping us connect without being deeply personal.” (Student C)
“The tutor’s approach to slowing down the pace, starting small, and not rushing helped create a safe environment.” (Student C)
“The course did a good job of creating conditions for safety, like grounding activities, even if the systems around it didn’t fully support that.” (Student C)
“The tutor’s vulnerability, especially in a new course under pressure, was noticeable and had a knock-on effect on the group.” (Student C)
Theme 3: Cultural barriers to sharing
Definition:
The identification and navigation of cultural differences that impact willingness and ability to share in creative arts online settings.
Includes:
- Understanding the influence of cultural backgrounds on sharing
- Language and communication
- Different cultural approaches to learning
- Challenging assumptions about the perceived value of cultural capital
- Building cross-cultural awareness and sensitivity
- Creating truly inclusive spaces for diverse perspectives
Student voice:
“They created that safe space to share…taking one word or one topic which is very universally understood and discussing that topic to form like a common basis of understanding.” (Student A)
“Cultural communication sessions helped create a shared understanding, making it easier to connect and share ideas across diverse groups.” (Student A)
“It was like assuming that because it’s a performance course, we’re all really comfortable doing body work.” (Student C)
“Acknowledgment goes a really long way to make you feel cared for.” (Student C)
“Acknowledging language and cultural realities helped people feel cared for.” (Student C)
“I felt like I had a huge cultural advantage being a native English speaker, even though it was a culture shock for me.” (Student C)
“The lack of language support for non-native speakers created a barrier to sharing and full participation.” (Student C)
4. Power dynamics in groups
Definition:
The recognition and management of power relationships and their impact on group interaction and learning.
Includes:
- Power dynamics in peer relationships
- Implicit hierarchies in learning environments
- Impact of anonymity on participation
- Fear of work being copied
- Group composition and interaction patterns
Student voice:
“The dynamic of the class and how the tutor encourages people to share really makes a difference.” (Student A)
“I feel like knowing a person more makes you more willing to share your thoughts or work, like you’re more like a family instead of competitive peers. If the course is competitive, I feel less comfortable sharing, but a collaborative atmosphere helps.” (Student B)
“Plagiarism is a concern; students worry about their work being copied or misused when shared online.” (Student B)
“Some students that might feel anonymous would be better for them to share their works because some of them might feel bits, you know, embarrassing to share.” (Student B)
“There’s an elitism in academic culture. Sometimes complexity and difficulty are used to maintain hierarchies.” (Student C)
“Academia is competitive, and it’s hard to create non-competition within it. But you can create moments of pause to reflect and connect. The competitive culture of academia sometimes discourages vulnerability and sharing.” (Student C)