Academic Incivility in Nursing Education: A Scoping Review.
Nurse Educ 2026 Jul 07. [Online ahead of print]

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Incivility is a persistent challenge in nursing education with serious consequences for faculty well-being, student learning, and program climate. Research remains fragmented and inconsistently grounded in theory.

PURPOSE

To map the extent, range, and nature of research on academic incivility in nursing education, identify key themes, and highlight gaps to inform future research and practice.

METHODS

A scoping review guided by the Population-Concept-Context framework was conducted across PubMed, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsycINFO, and Scopus (2000-2025). Studies included quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods, and review articles addressing uncivil behaviors in academic and clinical settings.

RESULTS

Forty-five studies met the inclusion criteria. Academic incivility was multifactorial and bidirectional, with negative effects on faculty well-being, student learning, relationships, and program climate. Gaps included inconsistent measurement, limited theoretical grounding, and minimal intervention testing.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings underscore the need for theoretically informed, empirically tested strategies to foster civility and support healthy learning environments in nursing education.

Authors+Show Affiliations

Haddad L0009-0006-2256-2989College of Nursing, Texas A&M University, Bryan, Texas (Drs Haddad and Sorenson); and Center for Excellence in Forensic Nursing, Texas A&M University, Bryan, Texas (Dr Clements).
Sorenson MRNo affiliation info available
Clements PTNo affiliation info available

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article

Language

eng

PubMed ID

42406613