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Submission Information

Author Name Sushma Lama

Title Academic dishonesty with special reference to cheating behaviour among
university students
Paper/Submission ID 2094843
Submitted by sushma.lama@cottonuniversity.ac.in
Submission Date 2024-07-09 16:32:32
Total Pages, Total Words 10, 2870
Document type Thesis

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 ACADEMIC DISHONESTY WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO CHEATING

BEHAVIOR AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: A MIXED METHOD

Dr. Sushma Lama, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Cotton University, Assam

Roshni Jain, MA, Department of Psychology, Cotton University, Assam

18
In recent years, university students' academic dishonesty has drawn increased attention. The
present study attempts to explore academic dishonesty among 50 men and 50 women who are
pursuing either graduation or post-graduation from universities in India. The Academic
Dishonesty Scale by Hilal Bashir and Ranjan Billa (2018) was used. A t-test revealed significantly
higher academic dishonesty among male students. Thematic analysis was attempted to generate
students’ perceptions about cheating in examinations. It is suggested that different stakeholders
take active steps to lessen the overwhelming feelings of cut-throat competition and build an
encouraging academic environment for the students.

INTRODUCTION

Academic integrity is a foundation that supports the pursuit of knowledge, intellectual growth, and
personal development in higher education. However, recently, academic dishonesty among
university students has gained more attention raising concerns about the values that higher
education institutions uphold.
4
A general definition for academic dishonesty can be ― “an intentional act of cheating or deceit
while fulfilling academic requirements and/or duties'' (Gitanjali, 2004). Academic dishonesty
encompasses a broad range of unethical behaviors like cheating on exams, buying papers written
by others, over-referencing, plagiarism, lying about content of papers, faking references,
manipulation of staff to name only a few. Research studies and news reports suggest that it is a
6
widespread problem impacting institutions globally. In a study by the Center for Academic
40
Integrity at Duke University, which included 50,000 college students and 18,000 high school
30
students, more than 70% admitted to cheating (McCabe, 2005). This figure has been increased
from 52% in 1993 and 26% in 1963 (McCabe & Trevino, 1993; McCabe & Trevino, 2002; Vencat
E.F. 2006). ‘India’s exams are plagued by cheating’ read a headline in The Economist (2022). As
the examination season begins, facebook groups post messages about getting good marks in exams
through unfair means. As reported in Voice of America (VOA), the largest US international
broadcaster, Indians climbed the wall of a building to help out students taking exams in Hajipur,
Bihar. Also, an article posted on British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in 2023 showed how in
42
India, where government jobs are highly coveted, cases of aspiring candidates resorting to unfair
means are not uncommon. Additionally, education times reported that in 2021 advanced cheating
methods were used that included impersonation in the National Eligibility-cum-Entrace Test
(NEET). Additionally , the systems in the exam center were hacked from a remote location in the
Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main examination.

Academic dishonesty has repercussions that go beyond simple moral dilemmas. Its influence is
22
felt by all members of the educational community, including teachers, students, and the integrity
of the school. Academic dishonesty impedes the moral growth of students and denies them the
6
chance to practice critical thinking, problem-solving, and research techniques. Students who
engage in academic dishonesty may experience severe psychological effects from the guilt, worry,
and stress involved. In business, Karassavidis and Glaveli (2006) reported that cheating has a
positive relation with the attitude towards unethical behavior of the managers.

The study examines academic dishonesty among university students, including the variations in
10
its 6 dimensions (cheating in examination, plagiarism, outside help, prior cheating, falsification
and lying about academic assignment) looks at gender differences in academic dishonest behavior,
which has been overlooked in the previous studies. Also, few studies could be traced that have
used qualitative approaches to explore cheating behavior during examinations. Through qualitative
analysis, it further explores cheating behavior, exploring its meaning, causes, methods adopted,
and its effect.

METHOD

The study used a mixed method approach to understand the dynamics of academic dishonesty. For
37
quantitative analysis, the selected sample, using convenience sampling, was 50 men and 50 women
who were pursuing either graduation or post-graduation from universities in India. The tool used
1
was Academic Dishonesty Scale by Hilal Bashir and Ranjan Billa (2018). There were a total of 23
statements. The scale comprises 5-point Likert format, each statement was rated on five sequential
points, (always=5, frequently=4, sometimes=3, rarely=2 and never= 1. High score on the measure
24
denotes a higher level of involvement of students in academic dishonesty. For this scale
1
Cronbach’s alpha indicated good internal reliability (α= .831). The construct reliability (CR) of
31
academic dishonesty scale stands at 0.70 (Hair et al. 2010). The scale was converted into Google
21
form and was distributed using social media platforms among university students. t-test was used
to find out the gender difference in academic dishonesty through SPSS. Moreover, ANOVA was
used to find out the overall difference between the dimensions among university students. For
8 34
qualitative analysis, purposive sampling was used to select 10 students who had been expelled
because of using unfair means while writing their examinations. In-depth interviews with the
selected participants were conducted using a self-prepared semi-structured interview guide. The
46
interview was conducted face to face in a well-lit environment. For those who were unavailable
7
physically, an online interview was scheduled through Google meet. Thematic analysis by Braun
and Clarke was used to generate themes.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

27
The results obtained revealed the value of t as 5.037 which was statistically significant at 0.01
41 11
indicating that there exists a significant difference between male and female . The mean score for
male was higher i.e 45.68 as compared to female i.e 35.94 indicating that men significantly
3
engaged more in academic dishonesty as compared to women. Gender difference among the 5
1
dimensions of academic dishonesty i.e Cheating in Examinations, Plagiarism, Outside help, Prior
Cheating, Falsification, Lying about Academic Assignments was assessed. For all the dimensions,
11
male participants had high mean scores as compared to female participants. The t-value for
12
cheating in examination was 4.23, for plagiarism is 3.006, for outside help is 2.107, for prior
cheating is 3.878, for falsification is 3.751 and for lying about academic assignment is 4.088. All
the dimensions are highly significant at 0.001 level apart from outside help which was statistically
significant at 0.05 level, indicating significant gender difference among the dimensions of
academic dishonesty. Pre-1990s research (e.g., Eisen, 1972) revealed gender differences
17 3
indicating that men showed significantly higher levels of academic dishonesty than women. Ward
and Beck (1990) proposed that this difference is due to women's tendency to obey social rules.
When Whitley and Keith-Spiegel (2002) looked at the prevalence of academic dishonesty among
 5
college students, they found that men were more likely than women to cheat academically. They
14
proposed that the distinction could be caused by socialisation processes and conventional gender
standards. Also, it's likely that men take risks more frequently than women do. This could be the
result of societal pressures like peer pressure or the need for thrills. (Pawlowski & Rajinder, 2008).
Rettinger and Jordan (2005) conducted research on the correlation between gender, academic
36
achievement, and cheating behaviour and found that when men felt pressured to maintain a specific
9
GPA or observed a strong value placed on academics, they were more likely to cheat. Men are
more affected by external factors like competition and expectations for academic success.
Compared to women, men are much more likely to engage in scientific misconduct, such as
fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism. (Kaatz, Vogelmen and Carnes 2013)
13
In addition to the t-test, ANOVA was conducted to test the group means in different dimensions
of academic dishonesty. The F value for between groups was found to be 68.406. (p < 0.001),
indicating that students varied significantly in the six different dimensions of academic
dishonesty.
38
An in-depth interview was also conducted with students who were caught red-handed while
39
cheating in exams using interview methods. The text was analyzed using thematic analysis
informed by Clarke and Braun (2006). The analysis revealed the following emerging themes:

Cheating is wrong but yields results in a competitive world - For few students cheating was
25
morally wrong while for others it was beneficial for eg. ‘’ I feel cheating for me is good if it is
15
benefiting me ‘’; ‘’Cheating is the road to success for me…without it I will not be able to get good
marks’’. Perhaps, students experience pressure to get "good marks" at any costs. There is more
26
pressure and urgency because of the fierce competition among students to perform better than their
peers and earn the best grades. The fear of falling behind or not living up to expectations becomes
a powerful incentive for dishonest behaviour in this high-stakes environment. It's possible for
8
students to feel pressured to cheat in order to have an advantage and succeed academically. In
addition, pressure to cheat is increased by the idea that future prospects and results are contingent
upon academic achievement. A mindset where academic achievement takes precedence over real
learning and personal development is sometimes fostered by the drive to merely obtain good
grades. Students may become so focused on achieving high marks that they prioritise short-term
gains above long-term growth. People's ethical judgement may be compromised and their integrity
may be compromised by the pressure to achieve in a competitive setting.

Internal psychological and poor monitoring mechanisms serve as factors behind cheating -
This theme was subdivided into internal and external factors. The internal factors included low
self-efficacy for instance ‘’ I might fail in exams if I don’t cheat in exams’’ and low self-esteem
for eg, ‘’ I am not smart and intelligent like my other classmates’’. According to a 2015 study by
45
David Teodara, students who feel high mastery and highly self-esteem cheat less. This means that
32 33
students who value themselves and feel in control of their actions are more likely to believe that
2
their actions will determine the outcome of their actions, which reduces the amount of
inappropriate behaviour. In a materialistic society or among peers, social comparisons might
persuade students to cheat. ‘’ My father wants me to earn as well as study because we are not rich
and therefore I have to cheat’’, ‘’ My sister is very good in studies so my father tells me to score
good marks like her, else I will never be successful’’. External factors included poor controlling
environment, ‘’ There are no strict rules and regulations in our hostel and no supervision… I myself
went to my hostel during my examination to take a few study materials and came back to give
exams’’. Invigilators unknowingly contribute to a society that accepts, if not normalises, academic
dishonesty by refusing to confront incidences of cheating. Students receive the message that
cheating is normal, and this could encourage others to do the same. Academic fairness and
integrity are compromised when cheating is allowed. It erodes confidence in the educational
system and minimizes the efforts of sincere students who put in a lot of effort to meet their
academic goals. Three participants claimed that since they used to spend most of the time drinking
alcohol, they barely had time to study which led them to cheat in examinations. For instance, ‘’ I
was so into alcohol with my friends that I didn’t have time to study or concentrate on studies’....
My priority was alcohol ’. Studies show that undergraduates run mad at the course of their
academic sojourn and some even suffer memory loss due to drinking thereby finding it hard to
graduate ( Bichler et al., 2003). In another study Alcohol abuse or dependence was identified in
501 (14%) students; of these, 128 (3.6%) were alcohol-dependent. Of the students who met criteria
35
of alcohol dependence, 62.5% failed in their first year, compared to 50% among students who did
not report these drinking problems. ( Aertgeerts & Buntinx, 2002 )
Cheating goes hi-tech - 3 out of 10 students have resorted to cheating through mini xerox and
technical gadgets., whereas 4 of them resorted to using chits and pre-written methods.
Students said that ‘’ One day before the exams I did mini xerox from a local xerox shop...This
15
mini xerox was helpful as the entire chapter would fit in just 1-2 paper.’’ 2 students stated that
they found technical gadgets such as smartphones, smartwatches , bluetooth earphones more
29
feasible than cheats as it was very easy for them to collect information from technical gadgets.
7
Effect experienced when caught cheating in examination- Several sub themes emerged from
43
this theme which was grouped into two categories Physical effects and Psychological Effects. All
the ten students had similar responses to when they were caught cheating. The response included
20
an abrupt rise in heart rate, for eg- ‘’ When I was caught by my teacher my face became red and I
was shaking out of fear’’ ; palpitations, excessive sweating. All participants reported trembling
violently when caught cheating, with their hands shaking uncontrollably, for eg. ‘’ As soon as the
invigilator approached me, I felt my whole body start trembling. Apart from the physical effect
students also experienced psychological effects: an intense mixture of shame ‘’ I mostly didn’t
talk with anyone for a few days as I was embarrassed by my behaviour’’, negative self-perception
‘’ I lost confidence after being exposed as a cheater. I questioned my skills and was concerned
that people would view me as someone who constantly took the easy way out’’ and social
withdrawal.

CONCLUSION
17
To conclude, we see that men showed significantly higher levels of academic dishonesty than
23 1
women. Men also showed significantly higher scores in each of the six dimensions of academic
dishonesty (cheating in examination, plagiarism, outside help, prior cheating, falsification and
3
lying about academic assignment). Further, students varied significantly in the six different
19
dimensions of academic dishonesty. This study has several important implications, one of which
is the need for tailored approaches and instructional strategies to address the particular challenges
that male students face in developing academic integrity. Interventions could include awareness
campaigns among the students, guardians, teachers and administration, that highlight the pressures
that students feel due to a sense of cut-throat competition and constant comparisons from their
parents, workshops to build self-efficacy, and time management skills for students. The University
may take measures to improve invigilation mechanisms thereby creating better invigilation
experiences. The values of honesty and integrity, as well as the serious consequences of academic
5
dishonesty, should be emphasised by educators from time to time. In future, a longitudinal design
that follows participants over time would provide insights into the stability and fluctuations in
cheating behavior.

ENDNOTES

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1
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4
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1
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1
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1
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