Incivility Among Radiography Educators in the United States

Abstract

Purpose: Medical imaging education must nurture a civil environment for both students and educators. Because faculty incivility can potentially compromise learning and interfere with workplace productivity, this study examined the perceptions of incivility among radiography educators in the United States. Methods: A survey research method was designed to examine the severity and frequency of incivility among educators teaching in radiography programs accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JCERT). Using a scale of 1 to 4, the participants in this study considered their perceptions of faculty incivility among radiography educators within their respective departments. Results: Civility has been demonstrated as a perceived problem in this survey. A total of 240/1,333 educators completed the survey, resulting in a response rate of 18%. Only 40.4% (97/240) of the participants in this study perceived that the severity of incivility was not a problem. The majority of the participant perceived civility to be an issue with 23.8% (57/240) reporting a minor problem; 39/240 (16.3%) said it was a moderate problem; and 47/240 (19.6%) believed faculty incivility is a major problem among radiography educators in the United States. Interestingly, severe uncivil faculty behaviors did not occur as often as behaviors classified as less severe. A very weak negative correlation was found between perceived severity of faculty incivility and age of radiography educators, indicating age increased as the perceived severity of faculty incivility slightly decreased and vice versa. Conclusions: Faculty incivility is perceived to be occurring among radiography educators in the United States. This study provides a foundation for future research to address various aspects of incivility among imaging sciences and radiation therapy educators in the United States.