Incivility in nursing education: a case study in Indonesia

Abstract

Background: Many problems of incivility/uncivil behaviour have been faced by nursing education globally from disrespectful to violent behaviour. However, most research on this subject has been carried out in Western countries with regard to psychological viewpoints (e.g. physical and emotional disadvantages). Indonesia is an excellent case study as a developing country with over 700 ethnicities and diverse socio-economic backgrounds and six official religions; these conditions can shape behaviours in nursing education. Purpose: To develop a model to provide an educational framework of the techniques and strategies of teaching and learning for managing civility in nursing education that is congruent to Indonesian culture based on nursing students and academic staff’s perceptions. Method: Multiple-case study research design. Respondents (students and lecturers) were purposely sampled from two nursing faculties (private and public) in West Indonesia. University IRB and settings approval were obtained. Data collection was by survey, observations and semi-structured interviews from September 2012 to April 2013. Findings: Uncivil behaviour in nursing education is a vital problem that needs to be prevented. It is affected by individuals’ cultural backgrounds and professionalism in context, including religious beliefs and values. New understandings for managing uncivil behaviour in this context were identified. Improved understanding of individuals’ backgrounds can manage uncivil behaviour in nursing education. Strategies for addressing uncivil behaviour in nursing education include effective communication and relationship, self-awareness, role modelling and effective rule implementation. Limitations: Despite the high participation rate and the demographic homogeneity of the sample (although only one Hindu was recruited), the two nursing faculties are located in West Indonesia, which limits generalisation for nursing education in Indonesia as a whole. Future research could explore incivility from nurses’ perspectives