Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Students’ Perceptions of Academic Dishonesty: A Nine-Year Study from 2005 to 2013

  • Published:
Journal of Academic Ethics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Students from a small, private, religious college and a large, public university completed questionnaires asking their perceptions of academic dishonesty at their institution. The questionnaires used a 5-point Likert scale to determine whether the students felt it was acceptable to cheat for a specific reason such as plagiarizing or copying homework both using and not using technology. Between fall 2005 and fall 2013, 1792 usable questionnaires were collected using similar methodology, questionnaires and respondents to control for possible extraneous variables. An analysis of the data provides indications that student acceptance of many types of academic dishonesty has decreased over the past 9 years.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alexander, M., Mundrake, G., & Brown, B. (2009). Pre business college freshman perception of classroom behavior: an analysis among and between genders. Delta Pi Epsilon Journal, 51(2), 99–116.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beck, L., & Ajzen, I. (1991). Predicting dishonest actions using the theory of planned behavior. Journal of Research in Personality, 25(3), 285–301.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bolton, R. N., Parasuraman, A. A., Hoefnagels, A., Migchels, N., Kabadayi, S., Gruber, T., Loureiro, Y., & Solnet, D. (2013). Understanding generation Y and their Use of social media: a review and research agenda. Journal of Service Management, 24(3), 245–267.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowers, W.J., & Columbia Univ., N. R. (1964). Student Dishonesty and Its Control in College.

  • Brown, B. S., & Emmett, D. (2001). Explaining variations in the level of academic dishonesty in studies of college students: some new evidence. College Student Journal, 35(4), 529–538.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, B. S., & McInerney, M. (2008). Changes in academic dishonesty among business students in the United States, 1999–2006. International Journal of Management, 25(4), 621–632.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burrus, R. T., McGoldrick, K., & Schuhmann, P. W. (2007). Self-reports of student cheating: does a definition of cheating matter? Journal of Economic Education, 38(1), 3–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burrus, R. T., Graham, J. E., & Walker, M. (2011). Are my colleagues soft on (academic) crime? Journal of Economics & Economic Education Research, 12(3), 55–64.

    Google Scholar 

  • Callahan, D. (2010). Academic Dishonesty: Studies and Reports, 1915–2010. Resource document. Cheating Culture. http://www.cheatingculture.com/academic-dishonesty/2010/10/7/academic-dishonesty-studies-and-reports-1915-2010.html. Accessed 20 Jan 2015.

  • Calman, K. (2004). Evolutionary ethics: Can values change? Journal of Medical Ethics, 30(4), 366–370.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chou, C., Chan, P., & Wu, H. (2007). Using a two-tier test to assess Students’ understanding and alternative conceptions of cyber copyright laws. British Journal of Educational Technology, 38(6), 1072–1084.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J. (1992). A power primer. Psychological Bulletin, 112(1), 155–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis, J. R., & Welton, R. E. (1991). Professional ethics: business Students’ perceptions. Journal of Business Ethics, 10(6), 451–463.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diekhoff, G., LaBeff, E., Clark, R., Williams, L., Francis, B., & Hainesd, V. (1996). College cheating: ten years later. Research in Higher Education, 17(4), 487–502.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Emerson, T., & Conroy, S. (2004). Have ethical attitudes changed? an intertemporal comparison of the ethical perceptions of college students in 1985 and 2001. Journal of Business Ethics, 50(2), 167–176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferrell, O. C., Jr., & Gresham, L. G. (1985). A contingency framework for understanding ethical decision making in marketing. Journal of Marketing, 49(3), 87–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Franklyn-Stokes, A., & Newstead, S. E. (1995). Undergraduate cheating: who does what and Why? Studies in Higher Education, 20(2), 159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gerdeman, R.D., & ERIC Clearinghouse for Community Colleges, L. C. (2000). Academic Dishonesty and the Community College. ERIC Digest.

  • Graham, M., Monday, J., O’Brien, K., & Steffen, S. (1994). Cheating at small colleges: an examination of students and faculty attitudes and behaviors. Journal of College Student Development, 35(4), 255–260.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hair, J., Anderson, R., Tathman, R., & Black, W. (1995). Multivariate data analysis (4th ed.). Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hansen, B. (2003). The issues. CQ Researcher, 13(32), 775–782.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huan-Chueh, W., Chien, C., Hao-Ren, K., & Mei-Hung, W. (2010). College Students’ misunderstandings about copyright laws for digital library resources. Electronic Library, 28(2), 197–209.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Intellectual property. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary (11th Ed.). Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/concise/intellectual%20property. Accessed 20 Jan 2015.

  • Josephson Institute. (2010). Josephson Institute 2010 Report Card on the Ethics of American Youth, Resource document. Josephson Institute. http://charactercounts.org/pdf/reportcard/2010/ReportCard2010 data-tables.pdf. Accessed 20 Jan 2015.

  • Josephson Institute. (2012). Josephson Institute, 2012 Report Card on the Ethics of American Youth, Resource document. Josephson Institute. http://charactercounts.org/pdf/reportcard/2012/ReportCard-2012-DataTables.pdf. Accessed 20 Jan 2015.

  • Karlins, M., Michaels, C., & Podlogar, S. (1988). An empirical investigation of actual cheating in a large sample of undergraduates. Research in Higher Education, 29(4), 359–364.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kisamore, J., Stone, T., & Jawahar, I. I. (2007). Academic integrity: the relationship between individual and situational factors on misconduct contemplations. Journal of Business Ethics, 75(4), 381–394.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kleiner, C., & Lord, M. (1999). The cheating game. U.S. News & World Report, 12(20), 54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koch, K. (2000). Cheating in Schools. Resource document. CQ Research Online. http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2000092200 &type=hitlist&num=2. Accessed 20 Jan 2015.

  • Lang, J. (2013). Cheating Lessons, Part 3. Resource document. The Chronicle of Higher Education. http://chronicle.com/article/Cheating-Lessons-Part-3/141141/ . Accessed 20 Jan 2015.

  • Lawson, R. A. (2004). Is classroom cheating related to business Students’ propensity to cheat in the “real world”? Journal of Business Ethics, 49(2), 189–199.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin, C.-H., & Wem, L.-Y. (2007). Academic dishonesty in higher education – a nationwide study in Taiwan. Higher Education, 54(1), 85–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Love, P. G., & Simmons, J. (1998). Factors influencing cheating and plagiarism among graduate students in a college of education. College Student Journal, 32(4), 539.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mazar, N., Amir, O., & Ariely, D. (2008). The dishonesty of honest people: a theory of self-concept maintenance. Journal of Marketing Research, 45(6), 633–644.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCabe, D. L., & Trevino, L. K. (1997). Individual and contextual influences on academic dishonesty: a metacarpus investigation. Research in Higher Education, 38(3), 379–396.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCabe, D. L., & Trevino, L. K. (1999). Academic integrity in honor code non-honor code environments: a qualitative investigation. Journal of Higher Education, 70(2), 211–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCabe, D. L., & Trevino, L. K. (2001). Dishonesty in academic environments. Journal of Higher Education, 72(1), 29–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCabe, D. L., Trevino, L. K., & Butterfield, K. D. (2001). Cheating in academic institutions. Ethics and Behavior, 11(3), 219–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCabe, D. L., Butterfield, K., & Trevino, L. (2006). Academic dishonesty in graduate business programs: prevalence, causes, and proposed action. Academy of Management Learning and Education, 5(3), 294–305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCabe, D.L., Butterfield, K. and Trevino, L. (2012). Cheating in College: Why Students Do It and What Educators Can Do about It. Johns Hopkins University Press.

  • McGrath, R. E., & Meyer, G. J. (2006). When effect sizes disagree: the case of r and d. Psychological Methods, 11(4), 386–401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Megehee, C. M., & Spake, D. F. (2008). The impact of perceived peer behavior, probable detection and punishment severity on student cheating behavior. Marketing Education Review, 18(2), 5–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Molnar, K. (2014). Have students’ perceptions of E-ethics changed? a five year study. Review of Business Research, 14(1), 37–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Molnar, K., & Kletke, M. (2012). Does the type of cheating influence undergraduate Students’ perceptions of cheating? Journal of Academic Ethics, 10(3), 201–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Molnar, K., Kletke, M. and Rampal, R. (2005). E-Ethics: A Study of Undergraduate Student’s Opinions of Intellectual Property in the Information Age, Decision Sciences Institute Annual Meeting, 2005 Proceedings, San Francisco, CA, 15281–15286.

  • Molnar, K., Kletke, M., & Chongwatpol, J. (2008). Ethics vs. IT ethics: do undergraduate students perceive a difference? Journal of Business Ethics, 83(4), 657–671.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Molnar, K., Kletke, M. and Jenkel, I. (2009). Does the Type of Institution Influence Undergraduate Students’ Ethical Opinions? Decision Sciences Institute Annual Meeting, 2009 Proceedings, New Orleans, LA.

  • Ogilby, S. (1995). The ethics of academic behavior: will It affect professional behavior? Journal of Education for Business, 71(2), 92–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Price, G., & Walt, A. (2013). Changes in attitudes towards business ethics held by former south African business management students. Journal of Business Ethics, 113(3), 429–440.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rakovski, C. C., & Levy, E. (2007). Academic dishonesty: perceptions of business students. College Student Journal, 41(2), 466–481.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schulman, M. (1998). Cheating Themselves. Issues in Ethics, 9(1), 4.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simkin, M., & McLeod, A. (2010). Why do college students cheat? Journal of Business Ethics, 94(3), 441–453.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simon, C. A., Carr, J. R., McCullough, S. M., Morgan, S. J., Oleson, T., & Ressel, M. (2004). Gender, student perceptions, institutional commitments and academic dishonesty: Who reports in academic dishonesty cases? Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 29(1), 75–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sisti, D. A. (2007). How do high school students justify internet plagiarism? Ethics and Behavior, 17(3), 215–231.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smyth, L. S., Davis, J. R., & Kroncke, C. O. (2009). Students’ perceptions of business ethics: using cheating as a surrogate for business situations. Journal of Education for Business, 84(4), 229–238.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Snapshot of Millennial Views. (2012). America, 206(16), 6–7.

  • Spiller, S., & Crown, D. (1995). Changes over time in academic dishonesty at the collegiate level. Psychological Reports, 76(3 Pt 1), 763–768.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stein, J. (2013). Millennials: The Me Me Me Generation, Time, May 20, cover story.

  • Tibbetts, S. G. (1999). Differences between women and Men regarding decisions to commit test cheating. Research in Higher Education, 40(3), 323–342.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trushell, J. J., Byrne, K. K., & Simpson, R. R. (2012). Cheating behaviours, the internet and education undergraduate students. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 28(2), 136–145.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vandehey, G., Diekhoff, G., & LaBeff, E. (2007). College cheating: a twenty-year follow-Up and the addition of an honor code. Journal of College Student Development, 48(4), 468–480.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wei, T., Chesnut, S., Barnard-Brak, L., & Schmidt, M. (2014). University students’ perceptions of academic cheating: triangulating quantitative and qualitative findings. Journal of Academic Ethics, 12(4), 287–298.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whitley, B. (1998). Factors associated with cheating among college students. Research in Higher Education, 39(3), 235–274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whitley, B. W., Jr., Nelson, A. B., & Jones, C. J. (1999). Gender differences in cheating attitudes and classroom cheating behavior: a meta-analysis. Sex Roles, 41(9/10), 657–680.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zeenath, R. K., & Sreejith, B. (2012). Students Go click, flick and cheat E-cheating, technologies and more. Journal of Academic & Business Ethics, 6, 61–26.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. St. Norbert College, 100 Grant Street, DePere, WI, 54115, USA

    Kathleen K. Molnar

Authors
  1. Kathleen K. Molnar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kathleen K. Molnar.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Molnar, K.K. Students’ Perceptions of Academic Dishonesty: A Nine-Year Study from 2005 to 2013. J Acad Ethics 13, 135–150 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-015-9231-9

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-015-9231-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation