Instructor Response to Uncivil Behaviors in the Classroom: An Application of Politeness Theory

We investigated student perceptions of instructor responses to classroom incivility with a 2 (passive or active student incivility) x 2 (instructor avoidance or bald-on-record response) experimental design. Undergraduate students (n = 281) were randomly assigned to view one of four videos of an incivility incident. They then evaluated the instructor’s behavior with respect to her credibility (competence, caring, and trustworthiness) and...