Description/Overview: In 2003, nursing faculty from Boise State University (BSU) in Boise, Idaho USA and Nursing College of Hangzhou Normal University (HNC) in Hangzhou, China developed a relationship when a BSU nursing professor was invited to HNC to provide curriculum consultation to their nursing program. Several years of subsequent collaboration on curriculum and teaching projects strengthened faculty relationships between the two universities. In 2006, the relationship culminated in a signed Agreement of Cooperation. One of the main objectives of the agreement was to engage in collaborative international research. During discussions on research topics, the subject of disruptive student behavior arose because universities in China had begun observing this behavior. Therefore, nursing faculty from BSU and HNC collaborated to conduct a study to measure faculty and student perceptions of student incivility at HNC. Prior to the study, a community and cultural assessment was performed to establish the foundation for the study. A thorough review of the relevant literature was also conducted in both languages on the concept of incivility. While China is undergoing rapid transformation, the educational system remains relatively unchanged, and university students are beginning to challenge the traditional educational system sometimes in disruptive ways. Therefore, nursing faculty at HNC wanted to measure student incivility and collaborated with BSU to conduct a mixed methodological study to investigate academic incivility at HNC from both the faculty and student perspectives. To ensure culturally appropriate language, Brislin’s translation process was used to translate the Incivility in Nursing Education (INE) survey. This investigation included three related aspects with a common theme of measuring incivility in HNC; a quantitative study, qualitative study, and a comparison study. Results from these studies provide a keen understanding of incivility in HNC; and include several prevention and intervention strategies to improve student-faculty relationships and enhance the academic environment.

Learner Objective #1: The learner will be able to identify the importance of building culturally-sensitive global relationships for conducting international research to improve nursing education in China.

Learner Objective #2: The learner will be able to demonstrate how academic incivility and disruptive behavior can be effectively studied through international collaborative research.