Nontraditional college students comprise a growing majority of college students with a unique set of needs and some of the highest attrition rates. Collaborative learning practices, such as peer review of writing, have been linked to improvement in students' academic, social, and professional skills necessary in the 21st century, global market. They are also linked to decreased feelings of isolation, fostering peer relationships, and contributing to a reduced attrition rate for the nontraditional student. Several studies show that peer review benefits can be corrupted by negative social factors, including lack of trust and psychological safety. Previous research also distinguishes between benefits of anonymous, online peer review over face-to-face peer review since the blind nature of online learning reduces social issues of lack of trust and psychological safety that can negatively impact the results of face-to-face peer review. The strictly online, anonymous setting, however, does not allow for students to practice a bona fide, live, social interaction, the very sociocultural learning theory grounding peer review, which considers students' interactions with peers vital to scaffold and contextualize learning. What teachers are doing to establish a trusting and psychologically safe environment in the remote-synchronous peer review of writing task, and how first-year, nontraditional students experience those variables, is an under-investigated topic. This study uncovers the communicative strategies teachers use to establish a trusting and psychologically safe environment and how first-year, nontraditional students experience trust and psychological safety during remote-synchronous peer review of writing. A report of findings, a discussion, and recommendations follow. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]