Why is Civility in the Classroom Important?
Some of the social goals of the college experience are the building of
social relationships, enhancing the art of communication, and developing respect
for other people; all of these skills are developed to some degree in the
classroom (Kirk, 2005). These are
important factors for success in the world of work, family, and community, as
well as emotional and mental health and well-being. Civility in the classroom is necessary for
optimal learning. “Students who
frequently observe classroom incivilities may spend less energy thinking
critically during the class and be less engaged with the course material afterward”
(Hirschy & Braxton, 2004, p. 72).
Collaborating with students in the process of defining what is
appropriate and inappropriate in the classroom helps students explore their own
feelings and experiences of how the behaviors of others affect their learning
experience and vice versa. Morrissette
(2001) points out that "…students are short-changed when lectures are
needlessly derailed by disruptive and inappropriate behavior" (p. 4).
Student incivilities are not the only behavioral issues that disrupt
learning; faculty behaviors have a direct effect on student learning as
well. Braxton and Bayer (2004) offer an
"analytic schema" that reflects how "deviant faculty behavior
affects one's teaching performance and classroom environment [and] student
learning," while "deviant student behavior affects faculty member's
classroom performance [and] other students' learning opportunities" (p.
5). Braxton and Bayer (1999) highlight
the reciprocal effect that faculty and student misconduct have on one another
and how this impacts faculty and student performance. In this reciprocal process, respect,
courtesy, and appropriate behavior runs in the directions of the relationships
of student to faculty, faculty to student, and student to student. Incivility has been defined as "the
intentional behavior of students to disrupt and interfere with the teaching and
learning process of others".
"Is it My Imagination or Are Students Behaving Worse
These Days?"
Although the topic has not been researched thoroughly, there is a slow
rumble among faculty that students are behaving worse today than they have in
the past. Some place the blame on
stereotyped factors about the "Millennial Generation," those students
graduating from high school in 2000 and beyond: parents were too lenient or too
overprotective; little discipline in the elementary or secondary schools due to
part apathy and part fear from teachers; a generation of high tech, low
attention span, immediately-gratified young adults. Boice (1996) indicates that his five-year
study of classroom civility showed incivility is “more common than uncommon …
occurring in more than two-thirds of the courses I tracked,” and was observed
much more often in the classes of professors whom students perceive as “distant
and demanding".
Consequently, faculty may have the experience of facing behaviors linked
to a diagnosed mental or emotional illness in students who would have
previously been unable to attend college.
These students face unique challenges in adjusting to the college or
university setting (Berman, Strauss, & Verhage, 2000). This is not to say
that professors should expect poor behavior from these students, or even to
expect less of them in terms of appropriate behavior. Hernandez and Fister highlight the importance
in distinguishing between rebellious or emotional behavior: “Rebellious
disruptive behaviors seem to be intentional, defiant, annoying, and
disrespectful,” and “ [While] emotionally disruptive behaviors may also have
annoying or disrespectful qualities, these behaviors seem to be unintended and
to be precipitated by underlying emotional distress”.
Kounin (1970) lists several reasons that professors may not address
uncivil behavior, including lack of appropriate skills and administrative
support, apathy among colleagues when faced with similar issues, and fear of
losing control or appearing inept when faced with disruptive student behavior.
Civility issues have also been said to arise from the mindset of
"student-as-customer" that is common in the business of higher
education today. In this frame, students
are the paying customer and their right to act in ways that might be considered
uncivil (but not harmful to others) is more important than the professors'
right to discipline. All of these
factors have some degree of irrationality and some degree of truth and will be
discussed further.
Student Incivility Issues

·
Limited attendance, tardiness, and leaving class
early
·
Eating in class
·
Cell phone and pager use
·
Disrespectful interactions (with professor or
other students)
·
Interrupting the professor or other students
·
Chatting among students
·
Reading newspapers or non-class material
·
Sleeping in class
·
Derogatory comments toward other students
related to race or culture; vulgar language or gestures
·
Preparing for the end of class before the
professor is finished. (Kirk, 2005).
Another area in which problem behaviors can arise involves team
projects, a popular teaching concept in today's college classroom. “Using teams in the classroom allows students
to develop skills in leadership, communication, negotiation, and decision-making”
(Kirk, 2005, p. 147). To make team
projects as meaningful as possible, it is important to understand which
behaviors can cause disruptions. The
most common complaints arising out of team projects is the teammate who does
not complete his or her share of the work or who does their share poorly. As with other academic expectations, setting
clear standards for behavior and participation for team projects and enforcing
these promptly will eliminate many problems.
One suggestion is to have students provide peer and self evaluations at
the midpoint of a project so problem behavior can be addressed and corrected
before the team breaks down. Another might be to have the team turn in a
“progress report” at midpoint that identifies each member, their tasks, team
progress, and individual progress, and to use this at the end of the project
for peer review as well. Including civil
behavior as a graded part of the team project will encourage that behavior and
help students develop successful team skills (Kirk, 2005).
Faculty Incivility Issues
Students who misbehave create a chaotic environment; faculty who do not
have standards for acceptable civil behavior or who do not take immediate and
consistent action to enforce set standards contribute to the chaos. Braxton and Bayer (1999) cite seven
"inviolable norms" that students may observe regarding faculty
behavior, including "condescending negativism, inattentive planning, moral
turpitude, particularistic grading, personal disregard, uncommunicated course
details, and uncooperative cynicism" (p. 21).
Morrissette (2001) suggests "uncivil student conduct in the
college/university classroom can be reduced and/or eliminated when faculty
assume a proactive stance, reflect on their contributions to hostile interactions,
and employ practical prevention strategies" (p. 4). In addition, there are certain expectations
that students rightfully have of professors and the classroom experience. These include:
·
Clear expectations from the first day of class
·
A commitment to stick to the syllabus and
schedule as much as possible
·
A respectful, caring attitude toward students
·
Staying on task, being organized, and knowing
how to use equipment in the classroom
·
Avoiding favoritism
·
Knowing the subject material and keeping
up-to-date on changes or new material
·
Making subject presentation interesting and as
interactive as possible
·
Understanding diversity issues (knowing the
students and their cultural differences)
·
Providing reliable contact information and being
conscientious about maintaining availability at the times indicated
·
Being reasonably prompt in responding to student
e-mails or phone calls (letting students know what reasonably prompt means)
·
Encouraging students to give feedback on what is
working well and what is not (during the course rather than just at the end).
(Kirk, 2005)
Survey
of Observed Classroom Behavior at the University of Arkansas
The purpose of the survey on classroom behavior is to establish
classroom environments that enhance student learning and to identify behaviors
that inhibit student learning. To gauge
the types of disruptive behaviors and the intensity of their effects on peers
and professors at the University of Arkansas, surveys were developed that
reflected observed behaviors from three perspectives: student to student, faculty
to student, and student to faculty. The
research findings shared the classroom behaviors perceived as most disruptive
within the university community based on survey results. A pre-packaged presentation will be developed
to assist faculty with establishing classroom standards of behavior at the
beginning of each semester
Methodology
A survey research tool was developed with the assistance of the Survey
Research Center (2006). The Survey
Research Center developed the survey for distribution online and collected and
analyzed the results. Surveys were sent
to 1,219 students representing a random sampling of the population, including
undergraduate and graduate students. This
first survey addressed fourteen observed behaviors of students by fellow students
as well as observed behaviors of faculty by students. A letter informing students of the survey was
sent in advance of their distribution.
This was followed by four e-mail contacts to allow for ample
opportunities to participate in the collection of student experiences.
A second survey was distributed to all faculty to obtain information on
observed uncivil behaviors of students in the classroom. The process for distributing and collecting
the response was the same as for students: one pre-survey letter, followed by
four e-mail contacts with survey site information and instructions.
The behavior most commonly indicated as very disruptive to both faculty
and students was verbally abusive or disrespectful comments students make
toward themselves or others, as well as vulgar or insulting language or
gestures. A significant portion of
students found lack of personal hygiene very disruptive. Chatting, whispering, or talking in class was
indicated as moderately disruptive to an average number of both students and
faculty. Preparing to leave before class
ends, leaving or otherwise interrupting class before the end, and the use of
electronic devices during class was considered disruptive to both faculty and
students, however, faculty rated these behaviors as more disruptive than
students. Students interrupting their
classmates or dominating class discussions was rated as disruptive to many
students, but this was not considered as disruptive to faculty. Sleeping, eating, or reading newspapers or magazines
in class was not rated as disruptive by the majority of students. Regarding the behaviors rated on the surveys
overall, faculty judged the surveyed behaviors slightly more disruptive than
students.
Several comments, both by students and faculty, indicated that
“disruptive” did not accurately represent their feelings on the behaviors
outlined. Suggestions that might have
more accurately captured perceptions included using identifiers such as
disrespectful, rude, disgusting, or inappropriate. Also, some faculty indicated some difficulty
in rating behaviors due to the absence of an indication of frequency. These faculty indicated that they did
consider many of the identified behaviors disruptive when they occurred or if
they were to occur, but indicated that they had never experienced these
behaviors in their classes, had only experienced the behaviors rarely, or had
classroom directives or rules that prohibited such behaviors.
Students rated the following faculty behavior regarding preparation and
classroom environment as very important: explain assignments and expectations
clearly, teach using appropriate and current knowledge of subject matter, be
approachable and open to receiving questions and concerns, be prepared for
class, be respectful toward students, strive to make learning innovative and
interesting, maintain a classroom environment conducive to learning, provide
reliable contact information and responses, and provide prompt feedback on work
completed. Students indicated that an
absence of these behaviors and actions did or could lead to an increase in
disruptive behavior due to boredom.
An interesting outcome occurred in the “comment” section of the faculty
rating of student behavior. Many faculty
emphasized that they experienced little or no disruptive behavior because they
took preventive measures to avoid these issues.
These measures included relaying clear expectations and consequences to
students at the beginning of each semester verbally and through the syllabus, as
well as providing immediate feedback and consequences when such behavior did
occur. This falls in line with the
research found in the literature review for this paper; prevention is the best
deterrent and clear communication is necessary for both faculty and students to
maintain a civil classroom atmosphere.
Female faculty identified several behaviors as mildly more disruptive
than male faculty; these included students chatting, whispering and/or talking
in class, one or more students dominating classroom discussions, reading
newspapers or magazines or sleeping during class, preparing to leave and
leaving or interrupting before class is over and, disruptive behaviors
affecting the teaching experience. Male faculty identified eating in class
as mildly more disruptive than perceived by female faculty. Faculty of
color indicated the behaviors of eating, reading newspapers or magazines, and
chatting, whispering and/or talking in class mildly more disruptive than white
faculty perceived them; the opposite was true for the students dominating
classroom discussion. While this survey provided rich descriptive data to
capture student and faculty perceptions on what is disruptive behavior, the
survey did not ask questions to provide insights to the effects of frequency of
behaviors, or of cause as to why one group perceives certain behaviors as more
disruptive than others. Further research is needed in those areas to
provide a more complete picture.
Other demographic factors such as students’ race or gender, class size,
number of hours students worked per week, and class load for students and
faculty showed no statistically significant relevance in relation to disruptive
behaviors. Again, this survey only
addressed descriptive data and not frequency of behaviors.
Recommendations to Address Classroom Incivility
Several approaches may be taken to decrease incivility in the
classroom. One effective and innovative
step toward the reduction of classroom incivility is to hold frank discussions
regarding civility issues with students and faculty. An example of this would be to have
discussion or focus groups that include students and faculty to identify
disruptive or uncivil behavior and how it affects the classroom setting and the
learning experience. This gives a chance
for all perspectives to be heard, for topics of disagreement to be discussed,
and for students to have the opportunity to participate in the reasoning and
consensus process. Civility is a sister
to ethics, a topic that is hotly debated (and often rationalized for personal
gain) in business, government, and personal lives today. Engaging students and faculty in
conversations regarding the "why" of civility can help to lead to a
buy-in of civil behavior. Faculty may
help this process by following several suggestions for effective
student/faculty communication: model the use of civil language and behavior;
acknowledge cultural differences and practice empathy; teach the "language
of disagreement" (such as respectful listening and the avoidance of
negative or threatening language); and engage students in the discussion of
uncivil behaviors and collaborate with them to develop solutions (Heinemann,
1996).
Before writing up a syllabus or contract that includes behavioral
expectations, professors must determine what is of personal importance
regarding civil behavior. It is not
helpful, nor will it likely be effective, to set expectations on behavior
without relevant rationale. Explain to
students why certain behaviors are not acceptable to the professor and to
students. It is just as important to
list behaviors the students can expect from the professor and why. Caboni, Hirschy, and Best (2004) highlight the
importance of reflecting on “such student characteristics as gender, race or
ethnicity, class standing, and membership in a social fraternity or sorority”
as acceptable behavior may vary among these groups and peer pressure has a
strong effect on how students perceive incivility (p. 61).
If using a behavioral expectation contract, review it with students and
ask for signatures of acceptance and understanding; if they refuse, the rules
are still in effect. This is an
effective way to handle the syllabus as well, whether behavioral expectations
are included or not. Having students
sign an "I read and understand…" agreement will help to avoid the
"I didn't know…" syndrome (Kirk, 2005). Several professors at Western Illinois
University developed a contract, used it with their classes, and then surveyed
the students to evaluate its effect; 57% stated the contract and its resulting
outcome on dissuading disruptive behavior was helpful (Bartlett, 2004, p.
1).
Establish the "class culture" the first day of class
(informal, formal, lecture, interactive, combination, etc.). Settle issues such as how to address the
professor and students, what the behavioral and academic expectations are, how
failing to meet these expectations will be addressed, and other items in that
first class period. Attempt to use
uncivil behavioral situations as a teaching experience. For example, discuss how cell phone usage
during class distracts students and the professor and how talking about
personal business in a public setting is inconsiderate and unacceptable in the
workplace. Morrissette (2001) advises
the use of peer evaluations and reframing potential conflicts as a way to
increase student involvement in the process of defining and setting standards
for appropriate behavior and teaching conflict resolution.
It is important for professors to document repeated disruptive
behaviors. If a student’s disruptive
behavior progresses to the point of violating the student code of conduct or
requiring outside intervention, written proof will need to be provided. Resources that are helpful for professors
when faced with a disturbing or complex incident include talking with seasoned
professors who can provide impartial guidance, utilizing the services of an
ombudsperson (or judicial office if necessary), and/or reviewing professional
material relevant to the situation.
Hirschy and Braxton (2004) suggest that “On-going training should be
available to assist instructors and staff in identifying and addressing
disruptive behavior when (or shortly after) it occurs” (p. 73)
Large classes present unique civility issues and solutions. Students may feel that their attendance is
unimportant or less important in large classes but studies repeatedly show that
attendance is a good predictor of grades (Kirk, 2005). Several suggestions might be helpful for
problem behavior in large classes. One
would be to make attendance count as part of the final grade. This can be achieved by having students sign
in with their name and another individual identifying factor or using material
outside of the text or from guest speakers on tests.
Because large classes are primarily lecture oriented, it can be
challenging to keep students’ attention.
Students indicate that certain faculty behaviors increase the likelihood
of keeping attention. These include:
moving around the classroom, asking questions, providing anecdotal material
that has personal relevance for students, having a sense of humor, and making
the learning as interactive as possible (Kirk, 2005). It can be helpful and informative to invite
students to give feedback two or three times during the semester (this could be
an attendance taker as well).
In large classes, it is tempting to ignore behavioral problems because
of the sheer number of students and the amount of time it could take to address
them. The trade-off in ignoring these
behaviors is that the professor is penalizing students who truly want to learn,
as well as indicating that behavior is not relevant and that students and the
classroom environment are not respected (Kirk, 2005). As outlined above, setting clear expectations
for civil behavior in the first class, verbally and in writing, and addressing
behavioral problems as soon as they arise, lets students know civil behavior is
important and relevant, both in and out of class.
Civility must matter to
students if it is to be made important in the classroom. Perlmutter (2004) emphasizes that "…
offering practical reasons for being civil is not enough. We have to win students' hearts as well as
their minds" (p. 2).
There are several ideas about why faculty avoid addressing or correcting
uncivil behavior in the classroom. These
include:
·
Not being taught skills in this area
·
Not feeling secure that their actions will be
supported by superiors
·
Feeling guilty about disciplining students when
they remember their own behavior in the classroom (this might be especially
relevant for newer and younger professors or teaching assistants)
·
Observing apathy among colleagues in this area
·
Feeling embarrassed about not being able to control
a class or a student
·
Believing it takes time away from teaching
·
Fear of losing control in front of students or
with a student
·
Believing students should know how to behave by
the time they get to college
·
Wanting to be liked (wanting to get good evaluations)
(Kirk, 2005)
It would be ideal if these issues were addressed in detail in graduate
classes, as well as in an orientation setting for new professors, and in
continuing education or seminars that focus on effective teaching practices. One venue for this lies in the programs
provided by the teaching and faculty support centers. Initial presentations on the subject of
classroom civility sparked interactive discussions and helpful suggestions
among faculty, along with the desire to further address the issue. Another idea
might be to identify several professors known for excellent classroom
environments and asking them to be available for consultation for those who are
struggling in one or several areas. This
might work best if the consultation is set up in an anonymous fashion.
Knowledge of cultural and gender differences in perceived and real
acceptable behaviors must be gained to address civility issues in a way that is
relevant to, and effective with, all students. There are several venues in
which cultural differences are explored on campus, but it may be helpful if
this subject is addressed in the classroom with respect to civility. Also, teachers who fall into a minority
category (if they have a majority class makeup) are more likely to face power
struggles with students and it is wise to address this at the beginning of the
semester when discussing expected behavior.
Alexander-Snow suggests that "a powerful teacher is attuned to the
classroom dynamic or teaching situation and employs immediacy behaviors such
that all participants feel valued and empowered".
The University of Arizona created a humorous but meaningful video on the
subject of classroom civility.
Discussion among University of Arkansas faculty and staff indicates that
a tool like this would be helpful and would provide civility information to
students in a manner that is interesting and conducive to further
discussion. Further inquiry into the
production of such a video will be conducted.
Conclusion
Student learning may be impaired in an environment that is interrupted
by uncivil or disruptive behavior. Both
faculty and students suffer consequences when this behavior is left
unchecked. The University of Arkansas
survey results indicate that the behaviors most commonly perceived as
disruptive include verbally abusive or disrespectful comments students make
toward themselves or others, as well as vulgar or insulting language or
gestures. These behaviors are not
acceptable in the classroom and would not be acceptable in the workplace as
well.
Faculty have the ability and responsibility to set clear expectations
for civil student behavior in the classroom as well as consequences for
disruptive behavior, along with
ensuring courses are interesting and engaging. Students have the responsibility to treat
faculty and each other with respect and dignity and the right to be protected
from uncivil behavior in the classroom.
Proactive planning in form of written and oral communication on the
first day of class, along with an interactive discussion about the reasons for
classroom civility, will establish the class culture from the beginning. Prompt attention in addressing civility
issues will indicate the importance of creating a safe and productive learning
environment. Civility, both inside and
outside the classroom, should be an important standard as college students move
through the education experience and prepare to enter the workforce and new
social environments.
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any suggestion on my side