Educator-to-student incivility in online nursing education during COVID-19 as reported by nursing students: A descriptive cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background

Educators' incivility in online nursing education is a serious academic issue; much of it is still unknown as it occurs in a less supervised environment.

Aim

This study examined variables and differences in educator-to-student incivility in online nursing education during COVID-19, as reported by nursing students.

Methods

Utilizing the Incivility in Online Learning Environments (IOLE) online survey, a cross-sectional design was used to collect data in 2021 from a convenience sample of 163 nursing students studying in different universities in Jordan. Version 25 of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to generate descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results

As reported by nursing students, there was a low degree of incivility among nursing educators in online nursing education, 45(range 23–92), and a moderate frequency in the past 12 months, 63(range 23–92). Around 37.00 % of students thought incivility in online nursing education was a mild problem. On a scale of 0–100, 63.00 % of the students reported the level of nursing educators' civility in online nursing education ranged from 50.00 % to 70.00 % (an average of 60.00 %). Differences in students' reporting of online nursing educators' incivility and its' frequencies were significantly influenced by students' grade point averages (GPA) and genders, respectively.

Conclusions

Although nursing students have a positive sense of civility among their nursing educators, incivility in online nursing education should be zero-level and disclosed and treated at its early signs.