Student perceptions of incivility in nursing education: implications for educators

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Student Behavior
• Academic Civility

Background:

• Incivility in academic settings is a growing concern.
• Previous research has focused on faculty incivility towards students.
• The student perspective on incivility in nursing education requires further exploration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore undergraduate nursing students' perceptions of incivility in nursing education.
• To compare student views with existing literature on educator incivility.
• To identify themes and subthemes related to incivility from the student viewpoint.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving 24 undergraduate nursing students from four universities.
• Data collected through four focus groups.
• Content analysis of transcribed focus group data to identify themes.

Main Results:

• Students perceive incivility as present in nursing education.
• Student perceptions of faculty incivility align with existing literature.
• A notable finding is the student view that faculty actions can escalate incivility, potentially justifying student incivility.

Conclusions:

• Faculty behavior significantly influences the learning environment and student conduct.
• Students expect educators to uphold classroom decorum and model civility.
• Addressing incivility requires a dual focus on both student and faculty behavior.