Cultural Influences on Academic Sharing

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to examine student perspectives on academic sharing, in both online and face-to-face higher educational settings, focusing on generational and cross-national differences. In recent years, students have taken to excusing traditional acts considered to be cheating as benevolent acts of generosity and caring. This study empirically examines if engagement in cheating behavior, rationalization of unfair advantage, and acceptance of academic dishonesty are predictable using measures of age and culture. Specifically, the authors tested for differences between millennials and pre-millennials and differences between collectivistic and individualistic cultures. Not surprisingly, the results confirm that students engage in acts of academic dishonesty. This study indicated, however, that many students increasingly consider certain acts of academic dishonesty as appropriate behavior. Millennials and some students from more collectivistic countries are rationalizing damaging acts of cheating as common and acceptable. These students are systematically shifting blame for their bad acts onto others.

Prerequisites for Accepting the Digital Educational Environment in New Cultural and Historical Conditions

“…Second, the use of dishonest strategies in education is global and widespread throughout the world. increasingly, students see certain acts of academic dishonesty as appropriate, common and acceptable in education, regardless of whether they accept or not ac-cept the digital learning environment [2]. In addition, it is possible that collectivism [23], characteristic of Russian culture, is a sufficiently significant factor predicting joint forms of academic dishonesty.…”