FACTORS INFLUENCING ENGINEERING STUDENTS’ DECISIONS TO CHEAT BY TYPE OF ASSESSMENT

Academic dishonesty (cheating) has been prevalent on college campuses for decades, and the percentage of students reporting cheating varies by college major. This study, based on a survey of 643 undergraduate engineering majors at 11 institutions, used two parallel hierarchical multiple regression analyses to predict the frequency of cheating on exams and the frequency of cheating on homework based on eight blocks of independent variables: demographics, pre-college cheating behavior, co-curricular participation, plus five blocks organized around Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior (moral obligation not to cheat, attitudes about cheating, evaluation of the costs and benefits of cheating, perceived social pressures to cheat or not to cheat, and perceived effectiveness of academic dishonesty policies). The final models significantly predict 36% of the variance in “frequency of cheating on exams” and 14% of the variance in “frequency of cheating on homework”. Students don’t see cheating as a single construct and their decisions to cheat or not to cheat are influenced differently depending on the type of assessment. Secondary findings are that a student’s conviction that cheating is wrong no matter what the circumstances is a strong deterrent to cheating across types of assessment and that a student who agrees that he/she would cheat in order to alleviate stressful situations is more likely to cheat on both exams and homework.     

Academic dishonesty and its relations to peer cheating and culture: A meta-analysis of the perceived peer cheating effect

Academic cheating is a worldwide problem, which is exacerbated by perceived peer cheating. The present review of the literature quantitatively examined this perceived peer cheating effect. This meta-analysis included studies reporting correlations between students' own cheating and their perception of cheating in peers. The sample consisted of 43 effect sizes (38 studies) based on a total sample size of 24,181 demographically diverse participants from multiple countries (65% female) from papers published from 1941 to 2021. Results showed a perceived peer cheating effect of intermediate effect size (r = 0.37, 95% CI = 0.35 to 0.39), and that perceived peer cheating is among one of the strongest factors known to be associated with students' academic cheating. Moderator analyses using country level measures revealed this effect to be stronger in cultures that are high in power distance, collectivism, long-term orientation, restraint, and low in uncertainty avoidance and religiosity. The present findings indicate that the behavior of peers plays an important role in students’ academic cheating, suggesting that effective strategies to promote academic integrity will need to consider peer influences as well as the culture in which students are socialized.     

College cheating: Ten years later

In this 10-year follow-up study of student cheating, we surveyed 474 university students to (1) evaluate the extent of cheating; (2) assess attitudes toward cheating; (3) identify variables that discriminate between cheaters and noncheaters; (4) assess the relative effectiveness of various deterrents to cheating; and (5) examine changes in cheating attitudes and behaviors from 1984 to 1994. Most students (61.2%) reported cheating in 1994, up significantly from 54.1% in 1984 (Haines et al., 1986). Despite this increased cheating, students in 1994 were significantly less likely than in 1984 to neutralize (rationalize) their cheating. Ten variables that discriminated between cheaters and noncheaters in 1984 did so again in 1994, and 12 additional discriminating variables were identified. A principal components analysis of these 22 variables indicated that, compared to noncheaters, cheaters are (1) less mature; (2) less reactive to observed cheating; (3) less deterred by social stigma and guilt and more likely to neutralize cheating; (4) less personally invested in their education; and (5) more likely to be receiving scholarships, but doing less well in school. Both cheaters and noncheaters rated embarrassment and fear of punishment as the strongest deterrents to cheating; disapproval of one's friends was ranked as the least effective deterrent by both groups.     

Attitude Toward Cheating and Opportunistic Behavior

Abstract

The problem was to Investigate attitude" toward cheating and the incidence of opportunistic cheating behavior in samples of undergraduate and graduate college student". Attitudes were assessed through the administration of Anderson’s attitudinal measurement instrument. Opportunistic cheating was observed through the utilization of contrived situations applied under two different levels of stress. Findings suggest that (a) attitudes toward cheating as measured by Anderson's scale do not appear to reflect the actual behavior of the respondents, and (b) In a given situation, regardless of the presence or absence of stress, approximately one-third of a college class will cheat opportunistically if the climate is an advantageous one.     

大学生考试作弊行为的实证研究——基于西部某高校的调查

基于大学生考试作弊的现实演变,本文运用问卷调查和访谈的方法对西部某高校大学生作弊的现状、成因及行为发生机制进行了相关研究。结果表明:(1)大学生考试作弊具有普遍性,作弊行为已经进入到一些学生的基本价值体系,形成一种"作弊文化";(2)来自城乡的学生,在"对作弊的认识倾向"、"作弊动机"变量上有显著差异;(3)不同性别的学生,在"对作弊的认识倾向"、"作弊动机层面"、"管理制度层面"、"作弊原因"等方面有显著差异;(4)不同年级的学生,在"对作弊的认识和态度"上有显著差异;(5)不同专业的学生,在"作弊动机"变量上有显著差异;(6)作弊方式多样,并带有明显的时代技术特征;(7)学生对作弊的认识和态度有不同的倾向、攀比心理的影响、考试试题的结构与性质、教学管理过程的松懈、考试与评价方面的不合理性、教师监考的松懈等是促成学生作弊的重要因素。作者在指出作弊现状、分析作弊成因及其发生机制的基础上,提出了防止作弊或尽量减少作弊的干预性建议。     

Faculty and student perceptions on college cheating: evidence from Turkey

Investigation of academic dishonesty has increased markedly in the past two decades; however, the body of research offers inconclusive evidence for many variables. This study examines faculty and student perceptions of in‐class and out‐of‐class cheating behaviours and provides contextual evidence for the prevalence of assessment practices used. Faculty and students differed only slightly in their attitudes toward collegiate cheating and their views on possible reasons for it. We found that the prevalence of teaching and assessment types used in student grading is significantly correlated with perceptions of out‐of‐class cheating, but not with out‐of‐class cheating behaviours. Students with less experience in out‐of‐class assessment display a less ethical attitude toward out‐of‐class cheating.     

Understanding Student Cheating and What Educators can do About it

Abstract. This article reviews the empirical evidence on college student cheating and places it in a context that combines economic theories of benefit/cost analysis and unobservable behavior with social network analysis of how widespread rule breaking can develop in an organization. The implications are that students cheat because the benefit/cost tradeoff favors cheating; that the problem of unobservable behavior can be substantially mitigated by promoting academic integrity as the social norm; and that many factors that have contributed to the development of more and stronger relationships between college students have helped to promote cheating. The article makes ten specific recommendations for educators.     

Cheating Behaviors among Undergraduate College Students: Results from a Factorial Survey

Using a factorial survey administered to college students at two Universities, this study examines students’ tendencies to engage in academic misconduct. The relation of strain, self-control, and deterrence theories to likelihood of cheating are further explored. The results suggest that increasing the severity of the punishment for cheating does not deter academic misconduct; however, several variables indicating an increased certainty of being caught did decrease the likelihood of cheating behaviors. Only the strain variables that indicated a student had an ill family member or that the student found the course difficult significantly increased academic misconduct. Although self-control did not have a direct effect on cheating it indirectly affected cheating behaviors through students’ perceptions of getting caught and their perception of wrongfulness of the cheating behavior. Policy and future research implications of the findings are further discussed.     

Predictors of a behavioral measure of scholastic cheating: Personality and competence but not demographics

Although many studies have examined individual difference predictors of cheating, insufficient attention has been given to several important personality variables (the Big Five, perfectionism, and subclinical psychopathy). Moreover, insufficient use has been made of concrete indicators of naturalistic scholastic cheating. Using a computer-based behavioral measure, we examined the correlates of multiple-choice exam cheating in several large undergraduate classes. In Study 1, 291 participants completed a comprehensive battery of personality measures. Their cheating on several subsequent exams was best predicted by their level of subclinical psychopathy. A possible artifact is that those high in subclinical psychopathy are less scholastically competent—a factor known to predispose cheating. To address this possibility in Study 2 (N = 150), we included measures of cognitive ability and a pre-course knowledge test. After controlling for both ability and prior knowledge, subclinical psychopathy remained a significant predictor of cheating behavior. Demographic variables such as gender, ethnicity and major did not add significantly to the prediction of cheating. Implications for educators and researchers of cheating are discussed.     

Faculty responses to academic dishonesty: The influence of student honor codes

Cheating among college students has generally been studied from a student perspective. The research discussed here looks at student cheating from a faculty perspective. Utilizing the responses of 789 faculty members at 16 institutions located throughout the United States, it examines typical faculty responses to incidents of student cheating and how the presence of a student honor code influences faculty responses. These findings are compared to student perspectives on how faculty address incidents of cheating using data collected from over 3,000 students at the same 16 institutions in an earlier phase of this research project.     

Individual assignments and academic dishonesty — Exploring the learning Conundrum

A survey of university business professors¹ focused on their use of individual assignments in courses and their views on cheating and its impact on student learning. Based on responses from 456 professors (37% response rate) from Ontario, Canada. it was concluded that most facult² believe that individual assignments are effective learning tools and that cheating on these assignments is a serious offence. They believe that cheating occurs widely, but continue to use these assessments, with some alterations, to ensure that students obtain learning benefits. The survey findings varied across disciplines and tenure status. A framework is proposed to explain the faculty perspective and the outcomes that professors experience. The adjustments they make to individual assignments are influenced by multiple factors that are internal (university policies and regulations) and external (internet usage) to the university. The discussion centres on the three stakeholders — faculty, students and administration — the need for culture change, and the role of honor codes in controlling cheating and supporting a learning environment.     

COLLEGE CHEATING IN JAPAN AND THE UNITED STATES

This paper reports the results of a survey onacademic dishonesty given to samples of 392 American and276 Japanese college students in 1994 and 1995. Our datarevealed both cross-cultural differences and similarities in cheating behavior andattitudes. Compared to American students, Japanesestudents reported a higher incidence rate of cheating onexams, a greater tendency to neutralize (i.e., justify) cheating, and a greater passivity in theirreactions to the observed cheating of others. Amongcheaters of both nationalities, Japanese students ratedsocial stigma and fear of punishment as less effective in deterring cheating than did Americanstudents. Our data also revealed cross-culturalsimilarities. Among noncheaters of both nationalities,guilt was the most effective deterrent. Among cheatersof both nationalities, fear of punishment was the mosteffective deterrent. And students of both cultures,cheaters and noncheaters alike, viewed social stigma asthe least effective deterrent to cheating. In both cultures, most students react to cheating byignoring it, about one-third react by resenting it, andactive reactions (i.e., reporting the cheating orconfronting the cheater) were seldom reported.Explanations for cross-cultural differences are suggested,and implications of these findings for efforts to reducecheating are discussed.     

Using mobile technologies for mathematics: effects on student attitudes and achievement

The ubiquity of mobile devices together with its potential to bridge classroom learning to real-world has added a new angle to contextualising mathematics learning. This study investigated the effects of using mobile technologies to students’ attitudes and achievement. A quasi-experimental mixed method design was adopted. Participants were 52 Primary 6 and 7 students. The experimental group participated in a weekly mobile-supported, collaborative learning activities spanning over three months. A no treatment control group was adopted. The experimental group have positive perception of the activities evidenced by student interviews and end activity evaluations. Students’ attitude to mathematics, as assessed by a mathematics attitude inventory, found no significant change for both groups except for the significant decline in enjoyment for the control group. A t test of the gain score between group showed a significant difference, t(43) = 4.57, p = 0.005, ES = 0.89 which indicates that the experimental group had higher gains than the control group. These results indicate that the use of mobile technologies elicit positive responses from students both in terms of how they perceive the mobile activities and how it improved their performance but its’ effect on students attitudes towards mathematics will need to be further investigated. Some implications of the findings are discussed.     

Determinants of faculty attitudes toward collective bargaining in university graduate departments: An organizational climate approach

This study examines the relationship between some facets of organizational climate in university departments and faculty attitudes toward various aspects of faculty unionization. The dimensions of organizational climate explored are: the perceived power structure, assessment of rewards, and perceived organizational goals. The major findings of this study are: (a) The perceived power structure is an important determinant of attitudes toward an egalitarian system, especially in the social sciences. Perceived individual power is negatively related to egalitarian attitude in the physical sciences whereas perceived faculty group power is negatively related to favorable attitudes toward collective bargaining in the social sciences. (b) Perceived emphasis on consulting activities is positively related to attitudes toward seniority-based aspects of collective bargaining in the physical sciences while perceived emphasis on personal factors is positively related to all aspects of attitude toward collective bargaining in the social sciences. (c) Inequity is positively related to attitudes toward unionization both in the physical and social sciences. The policy implications of these findings to faculty and university administration are discussed.     

Cheating behavior among students of four Moscow institutes

This paper reports the results of the first survey conducted in Moscow on student cheating behavior in December of 1991. I propose that cheating, like many other forms of deviant behavior, can be explained as rooted in the social structure. I propose a way of combining Merton's structural approach with the learning theory of deviant behavior. Merton's typology of individual adaptation is extended to a case where there is a difference between official and unofficial goals and means. I use the theory of neutralization to understand how students justified cheating in such social conditions. The survey revealed that an overwhelming majority of students cheat, and that students justify cheating by saying that it is the fault of the education system. In addition my results suggest that there was a linkage between the macro structure of Soviet society (including its educational system) and cheating behavior among students. The structure of the Soviet system provided opportunities and motivation to cheat together with the rationale to justify cheating. The changes which were introduced with Perestroika only worsened the situation by blurring the notions of appropriate and deviant behavior in many spheres of life. The implications for the present changes going on in Russia are discussed.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Eastern Sociological Society Meeting (Boston, March 1993). I am grateful for the helpful comments of Jerry A. Jacobs, Ewa Morawska, Harold Bershady and Paul Wolpe.     

Generational Differences among Community College Students in their Evaluation of Academic Cheating

This study examined how community college students (n = 650) vary by generation and other characteristics in their evaluation of academic activities as cheating. A Likert-type instrument was developed based on the literature, pilot tested, and subjected to factor analysis. Results of MANOVA found no difference by generation in the evaluation of cheating related to exams/papers. However, significant differences did exist among generations in the evaluation of activities of fabrication, taking shortcuts, and making excuses, with Millennials rating activities less strongly as cheating than others. Perceptions of cheating did not vary as a function of other student characteristics. Implications for practice include the provision of clear definitions of allowed and disallowed activities in each course and the stimulation of interdisciplinary dialogue regarding the enhancement of academic integrity.     

The relationship between university student learning outcomes and participation in social network services,social acceptance and attitude towards school life

Educators try to use social network services (SNSs) in their teaching because they are regarded as beneficial to student learning. However, little research to date has empirically investigated whether the use of an SNS increases university student learning outcomes. A total of 730 university students in the capital area of South Korea participated in the present study. Based on social learning theory, we developed a general structural model that included SNS participation (SP) as an exogenous variable and a range of endogenous variables: cognitive domain learning outcomes, affective domain learning outcomes, social domain learning outcomes, social acceptance (SA) and attitude towards university life (AT). The study results confirmed that the model adequately explained causal relationships between student learning outcomes and SA, AT and SP. SA was identified as a key variable because of its direct effect on learning outcomes. However, SP was considered more important because of its large indirect effects on all learning outcomes through both SA and AT.     

Relationship among laboratory instruction,attitude toward science,and achievement in science knowledge

This study investigated the use of a hands-on laboratory program as a means of improving student attitude toward science and increasing student achievement levels in science knowledge. Using a posttest-only control group design, curriculum referenced objective examinations were used to measure student achievement in science knowledge, and a posttest Q-sort survey was used to measure student attitude toward science. A one-way analysis of variance compared the groups' differences in achievement and attitude toward science. Analysis of covariance was used to determine the effect of the laboratory treatment on the dependent achievement variable with attitude toward science as the covariable. The findings showed that students who had regular laboratory instruction (a) scored significantly higher (p < .01) on the objective examination of achievement in science knowledge than those who had no laboratory experiences; (b) exhibited a moderate, positive correlation (r = .406) between their attitude toward science and their achievement; and (c) scored significantly higher (p < .01) on achievement in science knowledge after these scores were adjusted on the attitude toward science covariable. There were no significant differences in achievement or attitude toward science for the limited English proficiency groups. It was concluded that laboratory instruction influenced, in a positive direction, the students' attitude toward science, and influenced their achievement in science knowledge. It was recommended that science instruction include a regular laboratory experience as a demonstrated viable and effective instructional method for science teachers. This model of science instruction has been shown to be effective with students of diverse backgrounds who live within large urban centers. J Res Sci Teach 34: 343–357, 1997.     

USING INTERNATIONAL STUDY SERIES AND META-ANALYTIC RESEARCH SYNTHESES TO SCOPE PEDAGOGICAL DEVELOPMENT AIMED AT IMPROVING STUDENT ATTITUDE AND ACHIEVEMENT IN SCHOOL MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE

Taking lower-secondary schooling within the English educational system as an example, this paper illustrates the contribution of two bodies of international scholarship to the scoping of research-based pedagogical development aimed at improving student attitude and achievement in science and mathematics. After sketching the English context of systemic reform, the paper uses findings from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) series to illuminate changes in performance, analysed within a framework of cross-system and between-subject comparison. Contrary to the optimistic picture from national assessment, the TIMSS findings suggest that systemic reform has produced fundamental gains only in student achievement in mathematics, and serious declines in student attitude towards both mathematics and science. Prompted by more favourable patterns elsewhere, the paper then triangulates the findings of recent meta-analytic research syntheses to identify promising lines of pedagogical development. Despite important differences in the conceptual frameworks and analytic methods of these syntheses, reasonably robust conclusions can be drawn about the effectiveness of four teaching components: domain-specific inquiry for student achievement in both subjects, student attitude in science, and learning processes in mathematics; cooperative group work for learning and attitude in science; contextual orientation for achievement in science; and active teaching for achievement in mathematics. Equally, discrepancies between findings or insufficiencies of evidence highlight a number of impacts particularly deserving deeper analysis or further investigation: cooperative group work on achievement outcomes, differing forms of learning assessment on both attitude and achievement outcomes, contextual orientation on outcomes in mathematics, and active teaching on outcomes in science.