Accounting for Cheating: An Evolving Theory and Emergent Themes

Abstract

This study examines student responses to the question, ''What circumstances, if any, could make cheating justified?'' It then assesses how well those responses can be classified by existing theories and categories that emerge from a qualitative analysis of the data. Results show considerable support for techniques of neutralization, partial support for the accounts perspective, and further insights from emergent categories. Reasons offered by students as justifications for cheating serve both rational decision making and post-hoc rationalizations. Policies designed to promote academic integrity must address both of those. The rational decision making view suggests an implicit contract between instructor and student that offers opportunities for reducing cheating by clarifying expectations for students and by designing courses that live up to the instructor's side of that contract. The rationalizing view reinforces the need for consistent enforcement of clear standards.

Academic integrity and contract cheating policy analysis of colleges in Ontario, Canada

“…This finding is in line with the literature that stresses the importance of adopting a holistic institutional approach to academic integrity education (Macdonald and Carroll 2006;Caldwell 2010;Morris 2016). Policies not only need to be educative, but must also be written in such a way that administrators can impose sanctions if warranted (Brent and Atkisson 2011;TEQSA 2017).…”

Procrastination and cheating from secondary school to university

“…Regarding academic cheating it is important to note that students usually justify their dishonest behaviour with a varied set of arguments, such as the excessive difficulty of the tasks, the incompetence of the instructors or the little time they have to properly complete all the assignments (Brent & Atkisson, 2011). This last motive, the lack of time, is clearly connected with procrastination and leads us to hypothesise about a significant relationship between the two variables.…”

Development of a Rubric to Assess Academic Writing Incorporating Plagiarism Detectors

“…For example, in one of the first studies that investigated plagiarism (Karlins, Michaels, & Podlogar, 1988), it was reported that 3% of the students plagiarized by copying the works of previous students. Moreover, lecturers should remember that students might not feel that cheating on assignments is a serious problem (Brent & Atkinson, 2011). …”