Diversity in Education Study (DivES): Investigating a neurodiversity module in higher education

PLOS One | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0327379 July 21, 2025 6 / 12 Critical consciousness of ableism The statements utilized to assess individuals’ attitudes towards ableism were adapted from the Contemporary Critical Consciousness Measure II (CCCMII) [27]. Students were asked on a scale of 1–7, with 1 being “Strongly Disagree” and 7 being “Strongly Agree,” whether they agreed or disagreed with the ableism statements and to what extent. These responses were then scored and summed to gauge an individual’s critical consciousness, or the extent to which they are aware of the ableism that is infused in various aspects of our society [27]. Sample statements include, “Discrimina- tion against people with physical disabilities is a major problem in U.S. society” and “People with disabilities are gener- ally treated more poorly in U.S. society than those without disabilities” [27]. Consistent with previous studies that utilize the CCCMII [28,29], high critical consciousness is seen when an individual obtains a higher score. The max high score is 98 (high critical consciousness) and the lowest score possible is 14 (low critical consciousness). This measure had high reliability - Conbach’s α and McDonald’s Ω = .91 in the pre survey and both were.93 in the post survey. Distribution checks (histogram, skewness, and kurtosis inspections) confirmed a normal distribution of scores (pre skewness = .43, kurtosis = .49; post skewness = .34, kurtosis = −.55). One outlier was discovered (student provided the highest score for all

items) in the pre survey but this same student provided more variable/typical data in the post survey. Therefore, within the pre survey mean imputation was utilized instead of the outlier score. Neurodivergent identity The participants were asked if they consider themselves neurodivergent, with response options including “yes,” “no,” “I don’t know what neurodiverse means,” and “prefer not to answer.” If they indicated yes, they were also asked “How are you neurodiverse?” The responses were read and coded into one of following categories, (1) ADHD, ADD, and attention problems; (2) autism; (3) sensory sensitivities; (4) depression and anxiety; (5) other psychological disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder, emetophobia and other general mental health issues; (6) specific learning disabilities, such as dyslexia; and (7) individuals who overall think differently than others. Some responses clearly indicated a category, such as “I have ADHD,” whereas other responses were coded into a category due to key words or ideas. For example, “I think differently than others” and “I perceive things differently than others” would both be coded into the “think differently than others” category. For those who endorsed being neurodi- vergent, the specific ways they identified are summarized in Fig 1. Fig 1. Individual neurodiversity endorsements in the pre- and post- surveys. Note. Other Psychological Disorders for the Pre-Survey includes

obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and other general mental health concerns. For the Post-Survey Other Psychological Disorders include OCD, bipo- lar disorder, emetophobia, and other general mental health concerns. Specific Learning Disability includes dyslexia and other learning disabilities. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0327379.g001