Nursing Education and Managing Student Incivility and Misconduct

Managing Student Incivility and Misconduct in the Learning Environment In Nursing Education, Incivility in the Higher Education Environment In Nursing Education, A Continuum of Misconduct From Student In Nursing Education.

Managing Student Incivility and Misconduct in the Learning
Environment In Nursing Education

    On
today’s campuses of higher education, there appears to be increasing incidence
of incivility among students (Clark & Springer, 2007; Luparell &
Frisbee, 2014). When preparing a learning environment for students and faculty,
how can faculty ensure that it is one that is safe and productive for all, one
in which a quality teaching and learning experience can be provided? 

    This
chapter introduces developmental, legal, and risk management issues related to
classroom learning environments and methods to minimize student conduct that
disrupts learning. Instructional strategies are discussed to assist faculty in
achieving a robust and engaging learning environment through management of the
students’ actions.

    Management of actions includes student in-class behaviors
and extends to out-of-class course-related activities, both on- and off campus
internships, clinical, and practicum, as well as online learning experiences. 

  Specifically, this chapter explores methods to nurture and support learning and
describes effective responses for situations in which student behavior could
disrupt the learning environment with an emphasis on

(1) a continuum of student misconduct.

(2) preventative strategies.

(3) proactive response strategies.

(4) effective use of campus resources.

    The learning outcomes of this chapter
include gaining an understanding of problem or disruptive student behavior and
an understanding of specific steps faculty can take to minimize disruptions in
the learning environment. The content of this chapter is based on case law,
statutory law, research, and more than 20 collective years of experience
working with college students and college student misconduct. 

  As a cautionary
note, it is strongly recommended that faculty consult with the administrators
responsible for student conduct at their institution, their immediate
supervisor, campus police, and campus legal counsel regarding issues specific
to their institution.

Incivility in the Higher Education Environment In Nursing Education

    Most experienced faculty will tell you
that they derive pleasure from working with students much of the time. However,
on occasion, interactions between students and faculty may be somewhat
uncomfortable, slightly challenging, or even distressing. Despite the “ivory
tower” moniker, the academy, as a microcosm of society, is not immune to the
problems of society. 

    Incivilities of various types and among various
individuals can and do occur in higher education. However, this is an aspect of
the teaching role that tends to surprise novice faculty and befuddles even
experienced faculty. Both faculty and students have reported that incivility is
a moderate problem in nursing education (Altmiller, 2012; Clark, 2008b; Mott,
2014). 

  In a seminal study, Lashley and de Meneses (2001) found that all faculty
who responded to a survey of student misconduct in nursing had experienced
students being late, inattentive, or absent from class, and more than 90%
reported student cheating as a problem. 

    Faculty occasionally experience more
serious episodes of misconduct, including verbal or physical abuse, albeit less
frequently (Luparell, 2004; Williamson, 2011). Stress in both faculty and
students has been identified as contributing significantly to uncivil behavior
in nursing education (Clark, 2008a). 

    Although the majority of this chapter
addresses how student misbehavior can be managed, it is important that faculty
have an appreciation for the overall context in which misconduct and incivility
occur. Student misconduct and incivility rarely occur in a vacuum. 

    In both the
general workplace and in nursing education, experts suggest that incivility is
reciprocal in nature (Altmiller, 2012; Clark, 2008a; Porath & Pearson,
2012). If student misbehavior is viewed as a form of communication, it
necessitates that we view it in a broader context that includes student
interactions with faculty and the learning environment. 

    There is evidence to
suggest that faculty play a pivotal role in establishing classroom behavioral
norms and also may contribute to the problem in a variety of ways. In another
landmark study, Boice (1996) concluded that faculty are the most crucial
initiators of incivility in the classroom. Poor teaching skills may lead to
student frustration and misbehavior. 

    Additionally, lack of instructor
willingness to address classroom incivility sends a message that such behavior
is acceptable. Furthermore, students sometimes experience incivility at the
hands of faculty (Clark, 2008b; Marchiando, Marchiando, & Lasiter, 2010).
Example behaviors that students may identify as uncivil on the part of faculty. 

    Although it
is tempting to focus on student misconduct and incivility from a narrow
perspective, it is prudent to avoid doing so. Poor student behavior and
incivility, although never appropriate, may be influenced by a broad spectrum
of variables, including stress levels and lack of general civility within the
environment (Levine, 2010). 

    Additionally, lack of teaching acumen by faculty
may serve to increase student stress and frustration. Although this chapter
provides a starting point for managing misbehavior and incivility when it
occurs in the classroom, the thoughtful educator should consider multiple
variables when considering how to best prevent and manage conduct problems in
the classroom environment.

A Continuum of Misconduct From Student In Nursing Education

    In considering student conduct, one size
does not fit all. It is important to examine each incident in terms of the
behaviors observed and reported. It is also vital to use a framework from which
to evaluate student behavior. 

    With few exceptions, institutions of higher
education develop policies or documents to support and inform expectations of
civil behavior and conduct; these are described in many ways, such as a Student
Code of Conduct, an Honor Code, Student Rights and Responsibilities, or some
other variation. 

    These policies provide the filter through which one takes a
set of observed and reported behaviors and considers the extent to which a
specific situation may or may not violate a code of conduct. For purposes of
analyzing student behaviors, all behaviors fall within one or more of the
following three categories: 

(1) annoying acts

(2) administrative violations

(3) criminal conduct

   It is possible that a single behavior,
such as stealing a test, can be both an administrative violation and criminal
conduct. It is also possible that a behavior repeated over time, such as
interrupting a lecture repeatedly, can be considered both an annoying act and
an administrative violation. 

    Occasionally a lecture disruption might be
annoying, but the behavior moves from annoying to a violation of campus policy
if the disruptions persist after the student has been counseled that the
behavior exceeds reasonable limits. 

    Regardless of where the behavior may lie on
the continuum, it is critically important to create a teaching approach wherein
faculty are in a position to observe student behaviors objectively. 

    The focus
should be on actions and not on emotion, rumor, or innuendo. Furthermore, it is
important that faculty remain cognizant of student behaviors and their
potential effect on learning in order to, at the earliest opportunity, consider
the extent to which student actions fall within this framework. Awareness is
the first step in managing the learning environment.