Introduction
Nursing programs are platforms where faculty and students offer joint care to patients through clinical knowledge. However, faculty incivility acts must be eliminated to avoid jeopardizing the learning process. The article, “Faculty Incivility: Effects on Program Satisfaction of BSN Students”, by Marchiondo, Marchiondo, and Lasister (2010) features primary research based on empirical evidence to offer an overview of nursing education incivility. This article shows that academic incivility is a common problem for college faculties. Due to the lack of satisfactory research on the effects of faculty incivility on the nursing students’ program satisfaction, the authors conducted this study to fill that gap. This paper will conduct a critical review of Marchiondo, Marchiondo, and Lassiter’s article to evaluate its credibility in nursing education. Despite the few limitations in this report, this paper will show that the authors have given comprehensive coverage of nursing research in their report.
Review
The topic for any research is the key area that determines the essence and direction of the study. The authors of this article made a very relevant and clear choice of topic. From the previous volumes of nursing research, it is evident that very few studies have been accomplished regarding faculty incivility since much of the current research focuses on the students’ incivility. The unique quality of this topic is that it can be applied not only in nursing but also in other health programs. Therefore, the selection of this topic is undeniably unique and accurate especially considering that currently, faculty incivility has been a major stressor to nursing students. In addition, this topic is suitable for all graduate-level programs for both nursing educators and students. This report is concisely presented and grammatically correct from the start to the concluding remarks. Despite this document being nursing material, it is clear and easily understandable for the public and students joining the nursing field. The article uses a wide variety of evidence-based approaches that help to recognize and address incivility in nursing academics and later in practice. Even though the report is short, it is well organized by covering all sections of an academic report in a brief, but sufficient manner. The text is organized in a way that offers in-depth coverage around teaching, learning, and interacting strategies all woven in a brief and understandable way.
The purpose of this study is clearly indicated and precisely explored throughout the article. The authors sought to evaluate the effects of faculty incivility on program satisfaction after identifying that only two studies had previously attempted to address this issue. Furthermore, no study had addressed incivility against nursing students and in particular under academic environs such as laboratories and classrooms (Marchiondo, Marchiondo, & Lasiter, 2010). After identifying the purpose of the research, the authors developed a logically structured study, which is easy to follow and comprehend. The flow of the research offers rationalized clinical reasoning without losing track of the objective of the study. The authors offer comprehensive coverage of nursing research by grouping it into four main questions that guide the flow of the research. The questions include how nursing academicians retaliate to the expected faculty incivility and education environs where perceived incivility against nursing students thrives. The other questions explore the association of nursing students’ response to the program and faculty incivility and the extent of senior nursing students reporting being victims of faculty incivility. This consistent organization enhances the smooth flow of the research, thus making it easy for the reader to grasp the details without necessarily hopping from one section to another to link ideas.
The study provides a strong and updated combination of related ideas that govern the flow of the research paper by giving a rationale for conducting this study. The rationale is based on the view that very little research has been documented on this issue. An in-depth analysis of cases from the literature is provided, thus depicting the significance of concepts and urgency of this research in nursing education. This conceptual relevance is backed by a strong and unbiased literature review, which substantially evaluates both the student’s and faculty’s account on the issue. Student actions that lead to incivility, reported causes, and perceived solutions are evaluated in the review. On the other hand, the review evaluates acts of faculty incivility that range from the poor provision of facilities to displaying a lack of concern to the students. The literature also offers frequent and relevant examples that are dated not more than twenty years from the date of publication. The majority of the materials are dated five years or less from the day the report was posted, viz. May 28, 2010. This aspect demonstrates the significance and validity of research in nursing education via the context of tangibly documented research.
The report provides first-hand information derived from primary sources through conducting a cross-sectional survey involving 152 participants. Empirical evidence is obtained through self-reporting and after completing the survey. As stated earlier, research questions and hypothesis are well developed and they precisely amplify the details provided in the literature review. The hypothesis suggests that lack of interpersonal relations between the students and faculty is the main cause of incivilities in nursing entities. The entire flow of the study reflects the aforementioned hypothesis, hence raising the credibility of the report. The findings are consistent with the literature revi, since it indicated that approximately 88% of the participants acknowledged experiencing uncivil nursing faculty behavior in at least one instance (Marchiondo, Marchiondo, & Lasiter, 2010). The study assumed a probability sample model, which clearly identified the inclusion as well as the exclusion criteria. These criteria involved students’ demographic information such as age, gender, race, and ethnicity. Junior students were excluded from the study and the involved senior students were aged between 20 and 45 years. Meeting all criteria for participating in the study was necessary because it increased the eligibility of the report.
Ethical considerations were highly observed in this research because approval from the Institutional Review Board was acquired from the two universities surveyed. In addition, participants were informed of the nature of the research and the participation was based on personal consent. Senior students were considered because they were perceived to have experienced a maximum number of nursing faculty incivility. Respondents were only allowed to participate after they expressed full comprehension of the guidelines for the security of human subjects and they were thereafter strictly adhered to in the process. Operational definitions of variables and concepts were clear and they eliminated all possibilities of confusion. This aspect results in a solid grounding to appraise and use research evidence regarding the trends of nursing education in today’s healthcare setting.
The research design adopted a cross-sectional survey. Following this research design, the data gathering instrument was clearly defined and assessed by two skilled nurse researchers as well as faculty incivility analysts for content credibility and reliability. The instrument was appropriate since it was developed by first testing it through a pilot study. Prior to the actual study, a pilot study was conducted involving 35 undergraduate Bachelor of Science Nursing students (Marchiondo, Marchiondo, & Lasiter, 2010). Pilot respondents were requested to fill the survey and examine its accessibility and readability after which a revised version was adopted to guide the actual study.
The study used descriptive data analysis approach, which was appropriate because it emphasized in evidence-based practice through incorporating uniquely integrated and interactive review questions. The sample composed of 152 participants of which all of them completed surveys for analysis. The findings indicated that about 88% of the participants experienced faculty incivility implying that this study was very significant towards an effective nursing education. The strengths and limitations of the study were adequately discussed alleviating all possibilities of bias and underreporting. This study recommended that students should be motivated and molded to retaliate more actively to faculty incivility. Furthermore, interpersonal relations between the students and the faculty were identified as key determinants to improving program satisfaction. This comprehensive report was wrapped up by an accurate referencing of all sources utilized.
Weaknesses
The abstract is shallow as it failed to delve deeper and offer a detailed overview of the study. Even though the authors presented a general direction of the flow of the report, it was essential to include the sampling methodology and clearly state the hypothesis at this stage. The abstract only provided an insight to the research problem, findings, and the recommendations. Therefore, this aspect made the information provided insufficient, thus making the reader to read further in a bid to make an informed conclusion. Although the target population was clearly identified as involving 152 senior nursing students from two public universities, the sample size was limited in scope. The selection criterion was poor since it included only two universities and both from the same region. The future study should consider several universities spread throughout the United States. In addition, relying only on senior students is biased since they may demonstrate advanced levels of tolerance, thus making the information unreliable when addressing the needs of new students especially those who take longer periods to adjust. Consequently, the report could not capture students who had abandoned their nursing education before their senior year as a result of experiences of incivility (Marchiondo, Marchiondo, & Lasiter, 2010). Moreover, although it is difficult to depict causality, it is possible that students described faculty behavior as uncivil when they felt challenged or dissatisfied with nursing education.
Conclusion
This research article has provided a case for nursing education and those transitioning to the nursing practice. This brief report successfully covers the entire research process by technically moving with ease through the subject matter to making an informed conclusion. The article shows great focus on evidence and it attempts to offer basic understanding of nursing education research. The report is timely, self-explanatory, and interesting to follow. Although it might not reach the expectations of all, this article is undeniably a rich resource for the majority of BSN students as well as the general nursing faculty.
Reference
Marchiondo, K., Marchiondo, A., & Lasiter, S. (2010). Faculty Incivility: Effects on Program Satisfaction of BSN Students. Journal of Nursing Education, 49(11), 608-614.