Can nurse teachers manage student incivility by guided democracy? A grounded theory study

INTRODUCTION Managing incivility in academic settings is among the basic concerns and challenges of most educational systems, including nursing education. Incivility management cannot be considered devoid of disruptive behaviors. However, incivility management is a complexphenomenon upon which few studies are conducted. OBJECTIVES The present study aims at discovering teachers and students' experiences regarding incivility and developing an approach to manage nursing students' incivility. DESIGN The present study was conducted based on the qualitative research design of the grounded theory methodology. SETTINGS This study was conducted at schools of nursing in academic settings in Iran. PARTICIPANTS Study participants in the present study include nurse teachers (N=20) and nursing students (N=9). METHOD In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted using theoretical and purposive sampling. Constant comparative analysis was used for data analysis. RESULTS The results include four main categories; (1) deterioration of learning; (2) dominant individual and organisational culture; (3) guided democracy; and (4) movement toward professionalism. Guided democracy is recognised as the main basic psychosocial process for incivility management. CONCLUSIONS Incivility management is pursued to help learners develop professional performance. As indicated by the results of the present study, guided democracy is an effective strategy for incivility management in nursing education.