Support for scholars coping with online harassment: an ecological framework

ABSTRACT

This article contributes to understanding the phenomenon of online harassment of scholars with a focus on examining the effectiveness of support for coping with online harassment. We collected data from 182 participants of an online survey examining scholars’ experiences with online harassment. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model was used to examine the relationship between coping and support. We found that scholars used numerous engagement and disengagement coping strategies, and that the effectiveness of support for such strategies varied across genders. These findings have implications for practice and research, especially as they relate to equity and safety for scholars operating in online spaces.

KEYWORDS:

• Online harassment
• coping
• support
• ecological model
• academia
• scholars

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Notes on contributors

Shandell Houlden

Shandell Houlden (she/her) is a Post-doctoral researcher at Royal Roads University. Her work examines online harassment, online misinformation, and flexible education. E-mail: [email protected]

Jaigris Hodson

Jaigris Hodson, Ph.D is an associate professor in The College of Interdisciplinary Studies at Royal Roads University. Her work examines digital texts and their social and community impacts. E-mail: [email protected]

George Veletsianos

George Veletsianos, PhD, is a Professor and Canada Research Chair in Innovative Learning and Technology at Royal Roads University. His research examines the experiences and practices of learners and academics in digital learning environments. E-mail: [email protected]

Chandell Gosse

Chandell Gosse (she/her) is a PhD Candidate an adjunct instructor in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies at Western University. Her dissertation takes an interdisciplinary approach to understanding online abuse and sits most broadly at the intersection of feminism, digital culture, ontology, and phenomenology. Outside of her dissertation she works on the eQuality Project (http://www.equalityproject.ca/) and the Public Scholarship and Online Harassment Project (https://harassment.thedlrgroup.com/). E-mail: [email protected]

Patrick Lowenthal

Patrick Lowenthal is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Technology at Boise State University. He specializes in designing and developing online learning environments. His research focuses on how people communicate using emerging technologies—with a specific focus on issues of presence, identity, and community—in online learning environments. E-mail: [email protected]

Tonia Dousay

Tonia Dousay, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Learning Sciences and Researcher for the Doceo Center for Innovation + Learning at the University of Idaho. Her teaching and research include designing learning experiences for effective technology integration and learner engagement in formal and nonformal K20 spaces. E-mail: [email protected]

Nathan C. Hall

Nathan C. Hall is an Associate Professor and Director of the Learning Sciences graduate program in the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology at McGill University. Funded by provincial, national, and international granting agencies and foundations (e.g., SSHRC, CIHR, FQRSC, Spencer, Humboldt), Dr. Hall’s research explores the roles of motivational beliefs, emotion regulation, and educational interventions in psychological adjustment and performance in both educational domains (students and educators in K-12 and post-secondary contexts) and health care settings (e.g., serious illness). E-mail: [email protected]