Christina Shane-Simpson

Changing College Students’ Conceptions of Autism: An Online Training to Increase Knowledge and Decrease Stigma

College students with autism may be negatively impacted by lack of understanding about autism on college campuses. Thus, we developed an online training to improve knowledge and decrease stigma associated with autism among college students. Participants (Nxa0=xa0365) completed a pre-test, online training, and post-test. Women reported lower stigma towards autism than men. Participation in the training was associated with decreased stigma and increased knowledge about autism. Although participants exhibited relatively high baseline knowledge of autism, misconceptions were common, particularly in open-ended responses. Participants commonly confused autism with other disorders, such as learning disabilities. This study suggests that online training may be a cost-effective way to increase college students’ understanding and acceptance of their peers with autism.

Intersections between the Autism Spectrum and the Internet: Perceived Benefits and Preferred Functions of Computer-Mediated Communication.

An online survey compared the perceived benefits and preferred functions of computer-mediated communication of participants with (N u200a=u200a 291) and without ASD (N u200a=u200a 311). Participants with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) perceived benefits of computer-mediated communication in terms of increased comprehension and control over communication, access to similar others, and the opportunity to express their true selves. They enjoyed using the Internet to meet others more, and to maintain connections with friends and family less, than did participants without ASD. People with ASD enjoyed aspects of computer-mediated communication that may be associated with special interests or advocacy, such as blogging, more than did participants without ASD. This study suggests that people with ASD may use the Internet in qualitatively different ways from those without ASD. Suggestions for interventions are discussed.

A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Knowledge and Stigma Associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder Among College Students in Lebanon and the United States

Although misconceptions associated with ASD are apparent worldwide, they may differ across cultures. This study compares knowledge and stigma associated with ASD in a country with limited autism resources, Lebanon, and a country with substantial autism resources, the United States (US). College students in the US (Nxa0=xa0346) and Lebanon (Nxa0=xa0329) completed assessments of knowledge and stigma associated with ASD before and after an online ASD training. Although students in the US exhibited higher overall knowledge and lower stigma towards ASD, certain misconceptions were more apparent in the US than in Lebanon. Participation in the training was associated with decreased stigma and increased knowledge in both countries. Thus, online training may be useful for increasing understanding about ASD internationally.

Giving Psychology Away: Implementation of Wikipedia Editing in an Introductory Human Development Course

To test the feasibility of Wikipedia editing in large undergraduate psychology classrooms, we engaged groups of students in a large introductory-level Human Development course (Nu2009=u2009110) in editing Wikipedia articles to improve psychology-related content. Students attended in-class workshops and received online support to develop skills. They demonstrated considerable engagement with the assignment, averaging 14.5 posts to Wikipedia over a span of 50 days. Most connected Wikipedia editing with other course materials and reported benefits of peer-evaluating classmates’ work. Most reported beneficial interactions with Wikipedians in the public domain, who flagged and/or reverted edits of dubious quality, while correcting errors. Students demonstrated improvements in information literacy and Wikipedia knowledge, with gains in locating and evaluating the quality of source materials.

Youth science identity, science learning, and gaming experiences

Preference for and competence in problem-solving predicted science understanding.Preference for science-related features predicted teens science understanding.Teens with a stronger science identity negatively evaluated their gaming groups.Competence in games with science-related features predicted science identity.Science games may reinforce self-efficacy and competence in scientific reasoning. This study explored the relationships between identity, science learning, and gaming. A survey of 1502 teenagers assessed gaming preferences, habits, science learning, science and gamer identities. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that enjoyment of problem-solving games and identifying as a gamer were the strongest predictors for teens science understanding. Teen preferences for games with science-related features, and competence in problem-solving games were significant predictors of teens understanding of science. Teens who preferred collaborative social games over science-oriented games were less likely to understand the nature of science. Teens with a stronger science identity were more likely to negatively evaluate their gaming groups, preferred problem-solving games, and claimed greater competence in games with science-related features when compared to those who do not self-identify as science thinkers. Results suggest that games that seek to support those who do not feel successful in science learning should focus on social interaction and involve activities and experiences that could be utilized in the real world rather than problem solving games. Results suggest that science-focused games may reinforce perceived self-efficacy and sense of competence in real world scientific reasoning situations for those already predisposed to feel confident as science thinkers.

Examining potential mechanisms underlying the Wikipedia gender gap through a collaborative editing task

Abstract Research has identified a significant gender gap on the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia. The current research used a mixed experimental (type of feedback) and quasi-experimental (gender) design to examine the editing behaviors of college students during a public, collaborative editing task to identify potential factors underlying the Wikipedia gender gap. Overall, women edited more than men. However, in the editing condition most akin to Wikipedia, wherein female peer editors were underrepresented in the essay edits and feedback from peers was neutral, men trended towards adding more content than woman. Women added more content than men in this male-dominated essay condition when peer editors modeled constructive feedback. Although the type of edits from peer editors was counterbalanced, participants typically viewed an anonymous peer editor as male. Women viewed the anonymous editor as more critical of the participants own work when compared with a gender-neutral peer editor. These results suggest that visible female editors on Wikipedia and broader encouragement of the use of constructive feedback may begin to alleviate the Wikipedia gender gap. Furthermore, the relatively high proportion of anonymous editors may exacerbate the Wikipedia gender gap, as anonymity may often be perceived as male and more critical.

Bullying and Identity Development: Insights from Autistic and Non-autistic College Students

Reduced cognitive empathy may put autistic people at risk for bullying. We compared interpretations of bullying provided by 22 autistic and 15 non-autistic college students. Autistic (and non-autistic) students reported less severe bullying in college relative to earlier in development. Chronic bullying was associated with improvements in self-descriptions and self-acceptance. Autistic students who were chronically bullied were more likely to self-identify as autistic when asked to explain their disability. Autistic and non-autistic students demonstrated similar levels of cognitive empathy, providing no evidence that a “double empathy problem” contributes to bullying for all autistic individuals. Findings suggest that recovery from bullying can contribute to resilience and that autistic people gain insights about bullying and how to overcome it with development.

Designing a Summer Transition Program for Incoming and Current College Students on the Autism Spectrum: A Participatory Approach

Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) face unique challenges transitioning from high school to college and receive insufficient support to help them navigate this transition. Through a participatory collaboration with incoming and current autistic college students, we developed, implemented, and evaluated two intensive week-long summer programs to help autistic students transition into and succeed in college. This process included: (1) developing an initial summer transition program curriculum guided by recommendations from autistic college students in our ongoing mentorship program, (2) conducting an initial feasibility assessment of the curriculum [Summer Transition Program 1 (STP1)], (3) revising our initial curriculum, guided by feedback from autistic students, to develop a curriculum manual, and (4) pilot-testing the manualized curriculum through a quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test assessment of a second summer program [Summer Transition Program 2 (STP2)]. In STP2, two autistic college students assumed a leadership role and acted as “mentors” and ten incoming and current autistic college students participated in the program as “mentees.” Results from the STP2 pilot-test suggested benefits of participatory transition programming for fostering self-advocacy and social skills among mentees. Autistic and non-autistic mentors (but not mentees) described practicing advanced forms of self-advocacy, specifically leadership, through their mentorship roles. Autistic and non-autistic mentors also described shared (e.g., empathy) and unique (an intuitive understanding of autism vs. an intuitive understanding of social interaction) skills that they contributed to the program. This research provides preliminary support for the feasibility and utility of a participatory approach in which autistic college students are integral to the development and implementation of programming to help less experienced autistic students develop the self-advocacy skills they will need to succeed in college.

Estimating scale, diversity, and professional training of environmental educators in the U.S.

Abstract After decades of growth in environmental education (EE) in the US, the number of practitioners in the field remains unknown. A national study was conducted to estimate the field’s size through an online consumer survey panel stratified by race, ethnicity, and geographic region representing the US adult population. In addition to demographic data, three categorical questions assessed self-perceptions as environmental educators, the paid/unpaid nature of their work, and educational background in EE. Near one-fifth of the sample identified as environmental educators. Sample estimates of the overlap of environmental educators in formal education, non-formal, and unpaid (volunteer) work and their population numbers were used to calculate a conservative estimate of approximately 3.9 million environmental educators in the US Racial minority groups comprised 47% of the total number of environmental educators, indicating they were over-represented among those who consider themselves environmental educators compared to the general population. These results counter traditional assumptions that EE itself is not diverse, suggesting that inclusive practices may require more attention to who is currently excluded in organizations with low representation of minority communities.