Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

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

  • Published:
Research in Higher Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

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.

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

  • Ajzen I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 50:179–211

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ajzen I. (2002). Perceived behavioral control, self-efficacy, locus of control, and the theory of planned behavior. Journal of Applied Social Psychology 32(4):665–683

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Armitage C. J., Conner M. (2001). Efficacy of the theory of planned behavior: A meta-analytic review. British Journal of Social Psychology 40:471–499

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baird J. S. (1980). Current trends in college cheating. Psychology in the Schools 17(4):515–222

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baldwin D. C., Daugherty S. R., Rowley B. D., Schwartz M. D. (1996). Cheating in medical school: A survey of second-year students at 31 schools. Academic Medicine 71:267–273

    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 

  • Blankenship K. L., Whitley B. E. (2000). Relation of general deviance to academic dishonesty. Ethics & Behavior 10(1):1–12

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowers W. J. (1964). Student Dishonesty and Its Control in College. Bureau of Applied Social Research, Columbia University, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, B. S. (1994). Academic ethics of graduate engineering students. Chemical Engineering Education (Fall 1994), 242–243: 265

  • Brown B. S. (1996). A comparison of the academic ethics of graduate business, education, and engineering students. College Student Journal 30(Sept. ‘96): 294–301

    Google Scholar 

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

    Google Scholar 

  • Buckley M. R., Wiese D. S., Harvey M. G. (1998). An investigation into the dimensions of unethical behavior. Journal of Education for Business 73(5):284–290

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bushway A., Nash W. R. (1977). School cheating behavior. Review of Educational Research 47(4):623–632

    Google Scholar 

  • Carpenter, D. D., Harding, T. S., Montgomery, S. M., and Steneck, N. H. (June 16–19, 2002). P.A.C.E.S.–A study on academic integrity among engineering undergraduates (preliminary conclusions). Proceedings of the 2002 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Montreal, Quebec

  • Carpenter, D. D., Harding, T. S., Montgomery, S. M., Steneck, N. H., and Dey, E. (November 6–9, 2002). Student perceptions of institutional and instructor based techniques for dealing with academic dishonesty. Proceedings of the 32nd ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, Boston, Massachusetts

  • Caruana A., Ramaseshan B., Ewing M. T. (2000). The effect of anomie on academic dishonesty among university students. The International Journal of Educational Management 14(1): 23–30

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cizek G. J. (1999). Cheating on Tests: How to Do It, Detect It, and Prevent It. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers, Mahwah, New Jersey

    Google Scholar 

  • Cochran J. K., Chamlin M. B., Wood P. B., Sellers C. S. (1999). Shame embarrassment, and formal sanction threats: Extending the deterrence/rational choice model to academic dishonesty. Sociological Inquiry 69(1): 91–105

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cole S., McCabe D. L. (1996). Issues in academic integrity. New Directions for Student Services 73(Spring 1996): 67–77

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Conner M., Armitage C. J. (1998). Extending the theory of planned behavior: A review and avenues for further research. Journal of Applied Social Psychology 28(15): 1429–1464

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crown D. F., Spiller M. S. (1998). Learning from the literature on collegiate cheating: A review of empirical research. Journal of Business Ethics 17(6): 683–700

    Google Scholar 

  • Diekhoff G. M., LaBeff E. E., Clark R. E., Williams L. E., Francis B., Haines V. J. (1996). College cheating: Ten years later. Research in Higher Education 37(4): 487–502

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dowd, S. B. (1992). Academic Integrity-A Review and Case Study. Birmingham, Alabama: School of Health Related Professions-University of Alabama-Birmingham (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 349060)

  • Engineering Accreditation Commission. (2004). Criteria for Accrediting Engineering Programs: Effective for Evaluations During the 2004–2005 Accreditation Cycle. Retrieved May 12, 2004, from http://www.abet.org/images/Criteria/E001%2004–05%20EAC%20Criteria%2011–20–03.pdf

  • Fass R. A. (1990). Cheating and plagiarism. In: May W. W. (eds) Ethics in Higher Education. Macmillan, New York, pp. 170–184

    Google Scholar 

  • Finelli, C. J., Harding, T. S., Carpenter, D. D., and Passow, H. J. (June 22–25, 2003). Students’ perceptions of both the certainty and the deterrent effect of potential consequences of cheating. Proceedings of the 2003 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Nashville, Tennessee

  • Genereux R. L., McLeod B. A. (1995). Circumstances surrounding cheating: A questionnaire study of college students. Research in Higher Education 36(6): 687–704

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haines V. J., Diekhoff G. M., LaBeff E. E., Clark R. E. (1986). College cheating: Immaturity, lack of commitment, and the neutralizing attitude. Research in Higher Education 25(4):342–354

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hanson, A. C. (1990). Academic dishonesty: The impact of student and institutional characteristics on cheating behavior [Abstract] (Doctoral dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles, 1990). Dissertation Abstracts International, 51:89

  • Harding, T. S. (2000, October 18–21, 2000). Cheating: Student attitudes and practical approaches to dealing with it. Proceedings of the 30th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Harding, T. S. (2001). On the frequency and causes of academic dishonesty among engineering students. Proceedings of the ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Albequerque, NM

  • Harding, T. S., Carpenter, D. D., Finelli, C. J., and Passow, H. J. (2003, November 5–8, 2003). An examination of the relationship between academic dishonesty and professional behavior. Proceedings of the 33rd Annual IEEE/ASEE Frontiers in Education Conference, Boulder, Colorado

  • Harding T. S., Carpenter D. D., Finelli C. J., Passow H. J. (2004). Does academic dishonesty relate to unethical behavior in professional practice? An exploratory study. Science and Engineering Ethics 10(2): 311–324

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harding, T. S., Carpenter, D. D., Montgomery, S. M., and Steneck, N. H. (October 10–13, 2001). The current state of research on academic dishonesty among engineering students. Proceedings of the 31st ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, Reno, Nevada

  • Harding, T. S., Carpenter, D. D., Montgomery, S. M., and Steneck, N. H. (November 6–9, 2002). A comparison of the role of academic dishonesty policies of several colleges on the cheating behavior of engineering and pre-engineering students. Proceedings of the 32nd ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, Boston, MA

  • Harp J., Taietz P. (1966). Academic integrity and social structure: A study of cheating among college students. Social Problems 13(4): 365–373

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hetherington E. M., Feldman S. E. (1964). College cheating as a function of subject and situational variables. Journal of Educational Psychology 55(4): 212–218

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hilbert G. A. (1985). Involvement of nursing students in unethical classroom and clinical behaviors. Journal of Professional Nursing 1:230–234

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson C. J., Levine S. Z., Furnham A., Burr N. (2002). Predictors of cheating behavior at a university: A lesson from the psychology of work. Journal of Applied Social Psychology 32(5): 1031–1046

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jensen L. A., Arnett J. J., Feldman S. S., Cauffman E. (2002). It’s wrong, but everybody does it: Academic dishonesty among high school and college students. Contemporary Educational Psychology 27(2): 209–228

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jordan A. E. (2001). College student cheating: The role of motivation, perceived norms, attitudes, and knowledge of institutional policy. Ethics & Behavior 11(3): 233–247

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kerkvliet J. (1994). Cheating by economics students: A comparison of survey results. Journal of Economic Education 25(Spring):121–133

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kibler W. L. (1993). Academic dishonesty: A student development dilemma. NASPA Journal 30(4): 252–267

    Google Scholar 

  • Kibler W. L., Nuss E. M., Paterson B. G., Pavela G. (1988). Academic Integrity and Student Development: Legal Issues and Policy Perspectives. College Administration Publications, Asheville, NC

    Google Scholar 

  • King P. M., Mayhew M. J. (2002). Moral judgment development in higher education: Insights from the Defining Issues Test. Journal of Moral Education 31(3): 247–270

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lanza-Kaduce L., Klug M. (1986). Learning to cheat: The interaction of moral-development and social learning theories. Deviant Behavior 7(3): 243–259

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lipson, A., and McGavern, N. (May 16–19, 1993). Undergraduate academic dishonesty: A comparison of student, faculty and teaching assistant attitudes and experiences. Paper presented at the 33rd Annual Forum of the Association for Institutional Research, Chicago

  • Liska A. E. (1978). Deviant involvement, associations and attitudes: Specifying the underlying causal structure. Sociology and Social Research 63(1): 73–88

    Google Scholar 

  • McCabe D. L. (1997). Classroom cheating among natural science and engineering majors. Science and Engineering Ethics 3:433–445

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCabe D. L., Drinan P. (1999). Toward a culture of academic integrity. Chronicle of Higher Education 46(8): B7

    Google Scholar 

  • McCabe D. L., Trevino L. K. (1993). Academic dishonesty: Honor codes and other contextual influences. Journal of Higher Education 64:522–538

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCabe D. L., Trevino L. K., Butterfield K. D. (1996). The influence of collegiate and corporate codes of conduct on ethics-related behavior in the workplace. Business Ethics Quarterly 6(October):461–476

    Article  Google Scholar 

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

    Article  Google Scholar 

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

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Michaels J. W., Miethe T. D. (1989). Applying theories of deviance to academic cheating. Social Science Quarterly 70(4):872–885

    Google Scholar 

  • Moore, R. E. (1996). Impact of ABET on curriculum content and academic standards. Paper presented at the 1996 98th Annual Meeting and the Ceramic Manufacturing Council’s Workshop and Exposition, Indianapolis, Indiana

  • National Science Board. (2004). Science and Engineering Indicators 2004 (A Report of the National Science Foundation, Division of Science Resources Statistics). Retrieved May 20, 2004, from http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/seind04/append/c2/at02–22.xls

  • Newstead S. E., Franklyn-Stokes A., Armstead P. (1996). Individual differences in student cheating. Journal of Educational Psychology 88(2): 229–241

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nonis S. A., Swift C. A. (2001). An examination of the relationship between academic dishonesty and workplace dishonesty: A multicampus investigation. Journal of Education for Business 77(2): 69–77

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nuss E. M. (1984). Academic integrity: Comparing faculty and student attitudes. Improving College and University Teaching 32(3): 140–144

    Google Scholar 

  • Ogilby S. M. (1995). The ethics of academic behavior: Will it affect professional behavior?. Journal of Education for Business 71(2): 92–96

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pavela G. (1978). Judicial review of academic decision-making after Horowitz. School Law Journal 55(8): 55–75

    Google Scholar 

  • Pratt C. B., McLaughlin G. W. (1989). An analysis of predictors of college students’ ethical inclinations. Research in Higher Education 30(2): 195–219

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ratner, J. (1996). Academic dishonesty and moral development: Theory revisited. [Abstract] (Doctoral dissertation: Columbia University Teachers College, 1996). Dissertation Abstracts International, 57(07), 2902

  • Rawwas, M. Y. A., and Isakson, H. R. (2000). Ethics of tomorrow’s business managers: The influence of personal beliefs and values, individual characteristics, and situational factors. Journal of Education for Business, 75(6)

  • Roberts, P., Anderson, J., and Yanish, P. (October, 1997). Academic misconduct: Where do we start? Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Northern Rocky Mountain Educational Research Association, Jackson, Wyoming

  • Shaughnessy M. F. (1988). The Psychology of Cheating Behavior. Eastern New Mexico University, Portales, New Mexico (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 303708)

    Google Scholar 

  • Sims R. L. (1993). The relationship between academic dishonesty and unethical business practices. Journal of Education for Business 68(4): 207–211

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singhal A. C. (1982). Factors in student dishonesty. Psychological Reports 51:775–780

    Google Scholar 

  • Sisson, E., and Todd-Mancillas, W. R. (March, 1984). Cheating in engineering courses: Short- and long-term consequences. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Midwest Section of the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE), Wichita, Nebraska (ERIC Document Reproduction Service no. ED 242523)

  • Spiller M. S., Crown D. F. (1995). Changes over time in academic dishonesty and unethical business practices. Journal of Education for Business 68(4): 207–211

    Google Scholar 

  • Stark J. S., Lattucca L. R. (1997). Shaping the College Curriculum: Academic Plans in Action. Allyn and Bacon, Boston

    Google Scholar 

  • Stearns S. A. (2001). The student-instructor relationship’s effect on academic integrity. Ethics & Behavior 11(3): 275–285

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stern E. B., Havlicek L. (1986). Academic misconduct: Results of faculty and under-graduate student surveys. Journal of Allied Health 15(2): 129–142

    Google Scholar 

  • Storch E. A., Storch J. B. (2002). Fraternities, sororities, and academic dishonesty. College Student Journal 36(2): 247–252

    Google Scholar 

  • Sudman S., Bradburn N. M. (1982). Asking Questions. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco

    Google Scholar 

  • Tang S., Zuo J. (1997). Profile of college examination cheaters. College Student Journal 31:340–346

    Google Scholar 

  • Thorpe M. F., Pittenger D. J., Reed B. D. (1999). Cheating the researcher: A study of the relation between personality measures and self-reported cheating. College Student Journal 33(1): 49–59

    Google Scholar 

  • Tibbetts, S. G. (1997). College student perceptions of utility and intentions of test cheating (Academic dishonesty) [Abstract] (Doctoral dissertation: University of Maryland College Park, 1997). Dissertation Abstracts International, 58(06A), 2400

  • Todd-Mancillas, W. R. (1987). Academic dishonesty among communication students and professionals: Some consequences and what might be done about them. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Speech Communication Association, Boston

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

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whitley B. E., Keith-Spiegel P. (2002). Academic Dishonesty: An Educator’s Guide. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers, Mahwah, NJ

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitley B. E., Kost C. R. (1999). College students’ perceptions of peers who cheat. Journal of Applied Social Psychology 29(8): 1732–1760

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whitley B. E., 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 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Dr. Susan M. Montgomery and Dr. Nicholas H. Steneck for their contributions to the design of the survey; Dr. Eric L. Dey and Dr. Heidi E. Grunwald for their suggestions regarding statistical analysis in exploratory versions of this study; the engineering faculty who distributed the surveys in their classes; and the students who responded. We also gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the University of Michigan College of Engineering and the Educational Research and Methods Division of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Honor J. Passow

  2. Department of Student Life Assessment, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, 28403, USA

    Matthew J. Mayhew

  3. College of Engineering and Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Cynthia J. Finelli

  4. Manufacturing Engineering, Kettering University, Flint, MI, 48504, USA

    Trevor S. Harding

  5. Civil Engineering, Lawrence Technological University, Southfield, MI, 48075, USA

    Donald D. Carpenter

  6. 1071 Palmer Commons, 100 Washtenaw Avenue , Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Cynthia J. Finelli

Authors
  1. Honor J. Passow
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Matthew J. Mayhew
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Cynthia J. Finelli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Trevor S. Harding
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Donald D. Carpenter
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cynthia J. Finelli.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Passow, H.J., Mayhew, M.J., Finelli, C.J. et al. FACTORS INFLUENCING ENGINEERING STUDENTS’ DECISIONS TO CHEAT BY TYPE OF ASSESSMENT. Res High Educ 47, 643–684 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-006-9010-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-006-9010-y

Keywords:

Search

Navigation