1. A Civility in the Classroom
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.
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”
2.
Civility issues
Civility must matter to
students if it is to be made important in the classroom. Perlmutter emphasizes that "… offering
practical reasons for being civil is not enough. We have to win students' hearts as well as
their minds".
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.
3.
Faculty behaviors
Student incivilities are not the only
behavioral issues that disrupt learning; faculty behaviors have a direct effect
on student learning as well. 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". Braxton and Bayer 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".
4. Arise the behaviors
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”. 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.
5. Survey of Observed Classroom
Behavior
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. The Survey Research Center developed the
survey for distribution online and collected and analyzed the results.
1.
This first survey addressed fourteen observed behaviors
of students by fellow students as well as observed behaviors of faculty by
students.
2.
A second survey was distributed to all faculty to
obtain information on observed uncivil behaviors of students in the classroom.
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.
6. Student Incivility Issues
The following is a list of some commonly
observed student behaviors perceived as disruptive or uncivil:
·
Limited attendance, tardiness, and leaving class
early
·
Participation (too much or too little)
·
Eating in class
·
Cell phone and pager use
·
Inappropriate computer 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.
7.
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 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".
Morrissette 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". 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
·
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).
Several comments
Several comments, both by students
and faculty, indicated that “disruptive” did not accurately represent their
feelings on the behaviors outlined.
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.
Female faculty
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.
Demographic factors
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.
- Engaging students and faculty in conversations regarding the "why" of civility can help to lead to a buy-in of civil behavior.
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.
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.
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.
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. 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 . 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 .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.
There are several ideas about why faculty
avoid addressing or correcting uncivil behavior in the classroom. These include:
·
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
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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