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Curtis GJ. Guilt, Shame and Academic Misconduct. JOURNAL OF ACADEMIC ETHICS 2023:1-15. [PMID: 37362772 PMCID: PMC10164613 DOI: 10.1007/s10805-023-09480-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
Moral and self-conscious emotions like guilt and shame can function as internal negative experiences that punish or deter bad behaviour. Individual differences exist in people's tendency to experience guilt and shame. Being disposed to experience guilt and/or shame may predict students' expectations of their emotional reactions to engaging in immoral behaviour in the form of academic misconduct, and thus dissuade students from intending to engage in this behaviour. In this study, students' (n = 459) guilt and shame proneness, their expectations of feeling guilt and shame if they engaged in academic misconduct, and their intentions to engage in academic misconduct were measured. Three of the four facets of the guilt and shame proneness scale [GASP: Guilt-Negative-Behavior-Evaluation (NBE), Guilt-Repair, Shame-Negative-Self-Evaluation (NSE)] had significant negative correlations with academic misconduct intentions, and these relationships were mediated by anticipating shame and guilt related to engaging in academic misconduct. These results suggest that for some students expecting to experience negative moral emotions when engaging in academic misconduct may protect them from breaching ethical assessment rules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guy J. Curtis
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy, Perth, WA 6009 Australia
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Ferguson CD, Toye MA, Eaton SE. Contract Cheating and Student Stress: Insights from a Canadian Community College. JOURNAL OF ACADEMIC ETHICS 2023:1-33. [PMID: 37362770 PMCID: PMC10161988 DOI: 10.1007/s10805-023-09476-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
This article presents results from a self-report survey of misconduct behaviours and the stress students (n = 916) experienced at one Canadian community college. Results showed that students engaged in a variety of contract cheating behaviours, and experienced a myriad of stressors both in and outside the college context, including traumatic life events. Those who engaged in commercial contract cheating and inappropriate sharing behaviours experienced significantly higher levels of stress. This result differed by type of stress suggesting that not all stress may lead to violation behaviour. Results also suggest that some students are exposed to more stress than others, which could put them at higher risk for engaging in contract cheating. Understanding contract cheating using the stress process framework draws our attention to how a student's location in the social institutions of work, family, and school, how their positions of advantage or disadvantage, and their involvement in social relationships may produce stress which we have found to be associated with contract cheating. Seeing stress in this way allows post-secondary institutions to address the structural conditions which lead to stress through the development of policy, procedure, and supports for students as they navigate academic integrity throughout their programs.
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Waltzer T, DeBernardi FC, Dahl A. Student and Teacher Views on Cheating in High School: Perceptions, Evaluations, and Decisions. JOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE 2023; 33:108-126. [PMID: 35934842 DOI: 10.1111/jora.12784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Why do so many adolescents cheat despite judging that cheating is wrong? Two studies tested a new model of cheating in high school. In Study 1, 85 high schoolers in the Western U.S. reported their perceptions, evaluations, and motivations surrounding their own and hypothetical cheating. In Study 2, 83 teachers reported their views about cheating; we also analyzed course syllabi. About half of the adolescents reported unintentional cheating, and many judged their own cheating-but not hypothetical cheating-as acceptable. Decisions to cheat were responses to competing pressures, low value placed on the assignment, and other considerations. Study 2 revealed teacher-student disagreements about cheating, and minimal content about academic integrity in syllabi. The findings supported the proposed model of adolescent cheating.
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Understanding Contract Cheating Behavior Among Indonesian University Students: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior. JOURNAL OF ACADEMIC ETHICS 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s10805-023-09470-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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Veríssimo AC, Conrado GAM, Barbosa J, Gomes SF, Severo M, Oliveira P, Ribeiro L. Machiavellian Medical Students Report More Academic Misconduct: A Cocktail Fuelled by Psychological and Contextual Factors. Psychol Res Behav Manag 2022; 15:2097-2105. [PMID: 35983023 PMCID: PMC9380600 DOI: 10.2147/prbm.s370402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose Maladaptive personality traits and some psychological functioning indicators have been linked to academic misbehaviour; yet their role is still poorly explored in medical students. This study aims to assess associations of academic misconduct with dark personality traits and psychological well-being. Methods Five hundred and ninety-one medical students attending the first, third and fifth-year at one Portuguese medical school replied to the Dark Triad Dirty Dozen, Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Scales and an original Academic Misconduct Questionnaire, using a cross-sectional design. Multiple linear regression was performed to assess associations. Results Fifth-year medical students who scored higher in Machiavellianism and psychological well-being and perceived greater peer fraud and lower penalty for cheating reported more academic misconduct. The explanatory power of the model was 16.6%. Machiavellianism showed the strongest associations with cheating, while sex and age were not significant predictors. Conclusion This study offers relevant insights into how maladaptive personalities influence academic misconduct in medical students, and how this relationship is moulded by psychological and contextual factors. These findings can help guide institutional actions to foster academic integrity in future physicians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Cristina Veríssimo
- Department of Public Health and Forensic Sciences and Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - George A M Conrado
- Department of Public Health and Forensic Sciences and Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,University of Pernambuco, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Joselina Barbosa
- Department of Public Health and Forensic Sciences and Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Sandra F Gomes
- Department of Public Health and Forensic Sciences and Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Milton Severo
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Institute of Public Health, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Pedro Oliveira
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Institute of Public Health, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Laura Ribeiro
- Department of Public Health and Forensic Sciences and Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,I3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
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Groves A, Nagy V. Meaningful crime prevention or just an 'Act':Discourse Analysis of the criminalisation of contract cheating services in Australia. CRIME, LAW, AND SOCIAL CHANGE 2022; 78:295-319. [PMID: 35382019 PMCID: PMC8972726 DOI: 10.1007/s10611-022-10025-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Contract cheating remains a significant problem for universities and higher education (HE) generally, both within Australia and internationally. In 2020, the Australian Federal Government passed legislation establishing a new criminal offence, criminalising the provision or advertisement of academic cheating services by individuals and businesses. This legislation represents the Australian Government's formal commitment to a criminal justice response to address the problem of contract cheating behaviour, which seeks to prevent and minimise the use and/or promotion of such cheating services within the higher education sector. This paper provides a political discourse analysis (PDA) and interpretive policy analysis (IPA) of Australian Parliamentary Hansard documents regarding debate of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Amendment (Prohibiting Academic Cheating Services) Bill 2019. Our findings suggest a discord between the putative purpose of this legislation and the way the contract cheating problem has been represented in Australian Parliament. We argue that debates regarding the solution to, or at least how to address contract cheating first need to understand and agree on the problem if they are to meaningfully prevent crime. Our analysis exposes the politicisation of the higher education sector and associated discourse, where concern about contract cheating, in this case, was used as a vehicle to further rationalise ongoing Government paternalism and interference in tertiary institutions, underscoring the need for critical evaluation of criminological interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Groves
- Flinders University, College of Business, Government and Law, Adelaide, Australia
- Criminology, College of Business, Government and Law, Ring Road, Bedford Park, 5042 Australia
| | - Victoria Nagy
- University of Tasmania, School of Social Sciences, Hobart, Australia
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Audun Dahl
- Department of Psychology, University of California
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Waltzer T, Samuelson A, Dahl A. Students’ Reasoning About Whether to Report When Others Cheat: Conflict, Confusion, and Consequences. JOURNAL OF ACADEMIC ETHICS 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10805-021-09414-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
AbstractNearly all students believe academic cheating is wrong, yet few students say they would report witnessed acts of cheating. To explain this apparent tension, the present research examined college students’ reasoning about whether to report plagiarism or other forms of cheating. Study 1 examined students’ conflicts when deciding whether to report cheating. Most students gave reasons against reporting a peer (e.g., social and physical consequences, a lack of responsibility to report) as well as reasons in favor of reporting (e.g., concerns about welfare, justice, and fairness). Study 2 provided experimental confirmation that the contextual factors referenced by Study 1 participants in fact influenced decisions about whether to report cheating. Overall, the findings indicate that students often decide against reporting peers’ acts of cheating, though not due to a lack of concern about integrity. Rather, students may refrain from reporting because of conflicting concerns, lack of information about school policy, and perceived better alternatives to reporting.
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Reedy A, Pfitzner D, Rook L, Ellis L. Responding to the COVID-19 emergency: student and academic staff perceptions of academic integrity in the transition to online exams at three Australian universities. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR EDUCATIONAL INTEGRITY 2021; 17:9. [PMCID: PMC7995680 DOI: 10.1007/s40979-021-00075-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
This paper explores the perceptions of academic staff and students to student cheating behaviours in online exams and other online assessment formats. The research took place at three Australian universities in July and August 2020 during the emergency transition to online learning and assessment in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study sought to inform decision making about the future of online exams at the participating universities. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected using online surveys. The findings of the study led to seven key observations, most notably the need to redefine the characteristics of academic misconduct to account for changes wrought to examinations in a digital world. The study concludes with lessons learned in relation to enhancing academic integrity in digital examinations and assessments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison Reedy
- Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory Australia
| | - Darius Pfitzner
- Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory Australia
| | - Laura Rook
- University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales Australia
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Baran L, Jonason PK. Academic dishonesty among university students: The roles of the psychopathy, motivation, and self-efficacy. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0238141. [PMID: 32866171 PMCID: PMC7458306 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Academic dishonesty is a common problem at universities around the world, leading to undesirable consequences for both students and the education system. To effectively address this problem, it is necessary to identify specific predispositions that promote cheating. In Polish undergraduate students (N = 390), we examined the role of psychopathy, achievement goals, and self-efficacy as predictors of academic dishonesty. We found that the disinhibition aspect of psychopathy and mastery-goal orientation predicted the frequency of students' academic dishonesty and mastery-goal orientation mediated the relationship between the disinhibition and meanness aspects of psychopathy and dishonesty. Furthermore, general self-efficacy moderated the indirect effect of disinhibition on academic dishonesty through mastery-goal orientation. The practical implications of the study include the identification of risk factors and potential mechanisms leading to students' dishonest behavior that can be used to plan personalized interventions to prevent or deal with academic dishonesty.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lidia Baran
- Institute of Psychology, University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland
| | - Peter K. Jonason
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
- Institute of Psychology, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
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