Abstract
Research has shown that traditional academic honor codes are generally associated with lower levels of student academic dishonesty. Utilizing data obtained from students at 21 colleges and universities, this study investigated the influence of modified honor codes, an alternative to traditional honor codes, that is gaining popularity on larger campuses. It also tested the model of student academic dishonesty previously suggested by McCabe and Treviño in a more diverse sample of campuses. Results suggest that modified honor codes are associated with lower levels of student dishonesty and that the McCabe and Treviño model appears to be reasonably robust.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Bandura, A. (1977). Social Learning Theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Bowers, W. J. (1964). Student Dishonesty and Its Control in College. New York: Bureau of Applied Social Research, Columbia University.
Canning, R. (1956). Does an honor system reduce classroom cheating? An experimental answer. Journal of Experimental Education 24(4): 291-296.
Cizek, G. J. (1999). Cheating on Tests: How to Do It, Detect It, and Prevent It. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Cohen, J., and Cohen, P. (1975). Applied Multiple Regression/Correlation Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Dalton, J. C. (1985). Promoting Values Development in College Students. Columbus, OH: Teachers College Press.
Davis, S. F., Grover, C. A., Becker, A. H., and McGregor, L. N. (1992). Academic dishonesty: Prevalence, determinants, techniques, and punishments. Teaching of Psychology 19(1): 16-20.
Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., & Guido-DiBrito, F. (1998). Student Development in College: Theory, Research, and Practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Gibbs, J. P. (1975). Crime, Punishment, and Deterrence. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Ignelzi, M. G. (1990). Ethical education in a college environment: The just community approach. NASPA Journal 27(3): 192-198.
Jacobs, L. C., & Chase, C. I. (1992). Developing and Using Tests Effectively: A Guide for Faculty. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Jendrek, M. P. (1989). Faculty reactions to academic dishonesty. Journal of College Student Development 30(5): 401-406.
Kerlinger, F. N. (1973). Foundations of Behavioral Research, 2nd ed. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
Kibler, W. L., and Patterson, B. G. (1988). Strategies to prevent academic dishonesty. In W. L. Kibler, E. M. Nuss, B. G. Patterson, and G. Pavela (eds.), Academic Integrity and Student Development: Legal Issues and Policy Perspectives, pp. 19-36. Asheville, NC: College Administration Publications.
Kohlberg, L. (1969). Stage and sequence: The cognitive-developmental approach to socialization. ” In D. A. Goslin (ed.), Handbook of Socialization Theory and Research, pp. 347-480. Chicago: Rand-McNally.
Kohlberg, L. (1985). The just community approach to moral education in theory and practice. In M. W. Berkowitz and F. Oser (eds.), Moral Education: Theory and Practice, pp. 27-88. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
McCabe, D. L. (1992). The influence of situational ethics on cheating among college students. Sociological Inquiry 62(3): 365-374.
McCabe, D. L. (1993). Faculty responses to academic dishonesty: The influence of student honor codes. Research in Higher Education 34(4): 647-658.
McCabe, D. L., and Pavela, G. (1997). The principled pursuit of academic integrity. AAHE Bulletin 50(4): 11-12.
McCabe, D. L., and Pavela, G. (2000). Some good news about academic integrity. Change 33 (5): 32-38.
McCabe, D. L., and Treviño, L. K. (1993). Academic dishonesty: Honor codes and other contextual influences. Journal of Higher Education 64(5): 522-538.
McCabe, D. L., and Treviño, L. K. (1997). Individual and contextual influences on academic dishonesty: A multi-campus investigation. Research in Higher Education 38(3): 379-396.
McCabe, D. L., Treviño, L. K., and Butterfield, K. D. (1999). Academic integrity in honor code and non-honor code environments: A qualitative investigation. The Journal of Higher Education 70(2): 211-234.
Melendez, B. (1985). Honor Code Study. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University.
Michaels, J. W., and Miethe, T. D. (1989). Applying theories of deviance to academic cheating. Social Science Quarterly 70(4): 872-885.
Moss, B. (1984). Notes on Cheating for the Busy Classroom Teacher. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 243 203)
Nuss, E. M. (1984). Academic integrity: Comparing faculty and student attitudes. Improving College and University Teaching 32(3): 140-143.
Power, F. C., Higgins, A., and Kohlberg, L. (1989). Lawrence Kohlberg's Approach to Moral Education. New York: Columbia University Press.
Randall, D. M., and Fernandes, M. F. (1991). The social desirability bias in ethics research. Journal of Business Ethics 10(11): 805-817.
Rest, J. (1993) Research on moral judgment in college students. In A. Garrod (ed.), Approaches to Moral Development: New Research and Emerging Themes, pp. 201-213. New York: Teachers College Press.
Rosenhan, D. L., Moore, B. S., and Underwood, B. (1976). The social psychology of moral behavior. In T. Lickona (ed.), Moral Development and Behavior, pp. 241-252. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
Sax, L. J., Astin, A. W., Korn, W. S., and Mahoney, K. (1999). The American Freshman: National Norms for Fall 1999. Los Angeles: Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA.
Schwartz, S. (1968). Words, deeds, and the perception of consequences and responsibility in action situations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 10(3): 232-242.
Tittle, C. R., and Rowe, A. R. (1973). Moral appeal, sanction threat, and deviance: An experimental test. Social Problems 20(5): 488-497.
Treviño, L. K., and McCabe, D. L. (1994). Meta-learning about business ethics: Building honorable business school communities. Journal of Business Ethics 13(6): 405-416.
Treviño, L. K., and McCabe, D. L. (1998). Who's Who Among American High School Students. Lake Forest, IL; Educational Communications, Inc.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
McCabe, D.L., Treviño, L.K. & Butterfield, K.D. Honor Codes and Other Contextual Influences on Academic Integrity: A Replication and Extension to Modified Honor Code Settings. Research in Higher Education 43, 357–378 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014893102151
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014893102151