Self-Awareness of Civility Among Nursing Faculty in Creating a Positive Learning Environment

Students learn most effectively in environments that facilitate learning by encouraging and supporting them. Unpredictable, unstructured and overwhelming classroom environments can leave students with feelings of vulnerability and anxiety and ultimately contribute to poor learning outcomes. Faculty members bear responsibility for being positive role models and creating positive learning environments where students feel safe in engaging an open of ideas. Although self-awareness of the faculty is the strongest predictor of overall success of the students’ learning in the classroom, no research has systematically examined the faculty’s self- awareness of civil behavior. This study will explore nurse faculty's awareness of their civil behaviors and their impact on creating a positive learning environment.

The objective of the study is to examine nurse faculty’s awareness of their civil behaviors in creating a positive learning environment

An exploratory descriptive research design utilizing an online web-based survey as a means of exploring the perceptions of nurse-faculty of their civil behaviors in the classroom in creating a Positive Learning Environment (PLE). Data will be collected using the demographic questionnaire and “Civility Index for Faculty”, self-report questionnaire consisting of 20 items on nurse faculty’s civil behaviors in creating a PLE.

Descriptive statistics will be conducted to describe the demographic variables and total score of civility. Correlations between demographic variables (age, education, years of nursing experience, years in teaching nursing students); and tests of differences across demographic variables (ethnicity and education) and their awareness of civil behavior in the classroom in creating a PLE.

Findings will reveal how the level of awareness of nursing faculty with regard to civil behaviors in order to create a PLE

We anticipate that this study will provide invaluable information, raise awareness among nurse faculty and determine strengths and to create opportunities for engaging civil behaviors in order to create and enhance a PLE for students.