WHY STUDENTS MISBEHAVE IN CLASS: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF CLASSROOM INCIVILITES

Classroom incivilities are distracting to everyone involved in the learning process. Insight into the causes of these behaviors could potentially lead educators to successfully develop methods of reducing their prevalence. Many studies have discussed the causes and consequences of classroom behavior, though empirical evidence is lacking. In this paper we empirically examine the factors associated with six different types of student classroom incivilities using a sample of business students registered in principles of economics courses. Our experience demonstrates that, although each type of incivility has a unique set of determinants, some general conclusions can be drawn. First, though students and instructors may not agree on what constitutes an incivility, if students believe an act is inappropriate they will be less likely to engage in it. Second, business students appear to be more concerned with getting caught engaging in incivilities than they are about the consequences of getting caught. These results suggest that specific steps can be taken by educators in order to reduce the frequency of classroom incivilities. Our results are limited to business college students. Further research in other areas is needed