Abstract
Student cheating has always been a problem in higher education, but detection of cheating has become easier with technology (Bertram Gallant 2008). As a result, more students are being caught and reported for cheating. While reporting cheating is not a negative, the rippling effects of reported cheating (e.g., reduced time to degree) may be felt by some populations (e.g., first-generation college students, international students) more than others. Thus, preventing cheating would be a preferable option for all involved.
Identifying those at risk for being reported for cheating is a first step in developing preventive measures. Previous research has attempted to do this through the use of self-report surveys, but such research takes considerable time and resources to conduct and suffers from low response rates and social desirability bias. To address this limitation in existing research, this study links existing data from records of other-reported cheating to university registration data in order to examine 6 cheating risk factors identified in previous research: maturity level, gender, grade point average, major, international student status, and fear of punishment. The results of the study suggest that international and transfer students, particularly those who are male, in high-risk majors (like computer science, economics and engineering), and have lower grade point averages, are in particular need of preventative education. Likewise, those faculty who teach in computer science, engineering and economics majors should do more to educate implement practices to reduce the likelihood of cheating.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Baird, J. S. (1980). Current trends in college cheating. Psychology in the Schools, 17(4), 515–522.
Bates. D., Maechler, M., Bolker, B. M., Walker, S. (2014). “lme4: linear mixed-effects models using Eigen and S4.” ArXiv e-print; submitted to Journal of Statistical Software, http://arxiv.org/abs/1406.5823.
Bazerman, M. H., & Tenbrunsel, A. E. (2011). Blind spots: Why we fail to do what’s right and what to do about it. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Bertram Gallant, T. (2008). Academic Integrity in the twenty-first century: A teaching and learning imperative. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Bertram Gallant, T., & Drinan, P. (2008). Toward a model of academic integrity institutionalization: informing practice in higher education. Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 38(2), 25–44.
Bertram Gallant, T., Anderson, M.G., & Killoran, C. (2011). Academic integrity in a mandatory physics lab: the influence of post-graduate aspirations and grade point averages. Science & Engineering Ethics. Online First Issue. Reprinted in Volume 19, Issue 1 (2013), pgs. 219–235.
Bunn, D., Caudill, S., & Gropper, D. (1992). Crime in the classroom: an economic analysis of undergraduate student cheating behavior. Research in Economic Education, 23(2), 197–297.
Coren, A. (2011). Turning a blind eye: faculty who ignore student cheating. Journal of Academic Ethics, 9(4), 291–305.
Crown, D., & Spiller, M. (1998). Learning from the literature on collegiate cheating: a review of empirical research. Journal of Business Ethics, 17, 683–700.
Davis, S., Grover, C., Becker, A., & McGregor, L. (1992). Academic dishonesty: prevalence, determinants, techniques, and a proposal for remediation. Teaching of Psychology, 19, 16–20.
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.
Diekhoff, G. M., LaBeff, E. E., Shinohara, K., & Yasukawa, H. (1999). College cheating in Japan and the United States. Research in Higher Education, 40(3), 343–353.
Gareis, E. (2012). Intercultural friendship: effects of home and host region. Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, 5(4), 309–328.
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.
Hayes, N., & Introna, L. D. (2005). Cultural values, plagiarism, and fairness: when plagiarism gets in the way of learning. Ethics and Behavior, 15(3), 213–231.
Jendrek, M. P. (1989). Faculty reactions to academic dishonesty. Journal of College Student Development, 30(5), 401–406.
Keith-Spiegel, P., Tabachnick, B. G., Whitley, B. E., Jr., & Washburn, J. (1998). Why professors ignore cheating: opinions of a national sample of psychology instructors. Ethics and Behavior, 8(3), 215–227.
Kerkvliet, J., & Sigmund, C. L. (1999). Can we control cheating in the classroom? Journal of Economic Education, 30, 331–343.
Lupton, R.A., Chapman, K.J., & Weiss, J.E. (2000). A cross-national exploration of business students’ attitudes, perceptions, and tendencies toward academic dishonesty. Journal of Education for Business, March/April, 231–235.
Mazar, N., Amir, O., & Ariely, D. (2008). The dishonesty of honest people: a theory of self-concept maintenance. Journal of Marketing Research, 45(6), 633–644.
McCabe, D. L. (1992). The influence of situational ethics on cheating among college students. Sociological Inquiry, 62(3), 365–374.
McCabe, D. L. (1993). Faculty responses to academic dishonesty: the influence of student honor codes. Research in Higher Education, 34(5), 647–658.
McCabe, D. L. (1997). Classroom cheating among natural science and engineering majors. Science and Engineering Ethics, 3, 433–445.
McCabe, D. L., & Trevino, L. K. (1993). Academic dishonesty : honor codes and other contextual influences. The Journal of Higher Education, 64(5), 522–538.
McCabe, D. L., & Trevino, L. K. (1996). What we know about cheating in college: longitudinal trends and recent developments. Change, 28(1), 28–33.
McCabe, D. L., & Trevino, L. K. (1997). Individual and contextual influences on academic dishonesty: a multicampus investigation. Research in Higher Education, 38(3), 379–396.
McCabe, D. L., Trevino, L. K., & Butterfield, K. D. (2002). Honor codes and other contextual influences on academic integrity: a replication and extension to modified honor code settings. Research in Higher Education, 43(3), 357–378.
McCabe, D. L., Feghali, T., & Abdallah, H. (2008). Academic dishonesty in the middle east: individual and contextual factors. Research in Higher Education, 49(5), 451–467.
Michaels, J., & Miethe, T. (1989). Applying theories of deviance to academic cheating. Social Science Quarterly, 70(4), 872–885.
Mori, S. (2000). Addressing the mental health concerns of international students. Journal of Counseling and Development, 78(Spring), 137–144.
Nuss, E. M. (1984). Academic integrity: comparing faculty and student attitudes. Improving College and University Teaching, 32(3), 140–144.
Passow, H. J., Mayhew, M., Finelli, C. J., Harding, T. S., & Carpenter, D. D. (2006). Factors influencing engineering students’ decisions to cheat by type of assessment. Research in Higher Education, 47(6), 643–684.
Rettinger, D. A., & Kramer, Y. (2009). Situation and personal causes of student cheating. Research in Higher Education, 50, 293–313.
Robinson, J. (1992). International students and American university culture: Adjustment issues. Paper presented at the Washington Area Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (WATESOL) Annual Convention. ED 350 968.
Singhal, A. C. (1982). Factors in students’ dishonesty. Psychological Reports, 51(3), 775–780.
Teixeira, A. A. C., & Rocha, M. F. (2010). Cheating by economics and business undergraduate students: an exploratory international assessment. Higher Education, 59, 663–701.
Tibbetts, S. G. (1999). Differences between women and men regarding decisions to commit test cheating. Research in Higher Education, 40(3), 323–342.
Vandehey, M., Diekhoff, G., & LaBeff, E. (2007). College cheating: a twenty-year follow-up and the addition of an honor code. Journal of College Student Development, 48(4), 468–480.
Volpe, R., Davidson, L., & Bell, M. C. (2008). Faculty attitudes and behaviors concerning student cheating. College Student Journal, 42(1), 164–175.
Whitley, B. E., Jr. (1998). Factors associated with cheating among college students: a review. Research in Higher Education, 39(3), 235–274.
Yang, Y., Li, M., & Sligo, F. (2008). Chinese international students’ satisfaction levels with their experiences in New Zealand. Paper presented at ANZCA009 Conference, Power and Place. Wellington. Retrieved August 29th, 2014 from http://www.academia.edu/934323/Chinese_international_students_satisfaction_levels_with_their_learning_experiences_in_New_Zealand.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bertram Gallant, T., Binkin, N. & Donohue, M. Students at Risk for Being Reported for Cheating. J Acad Ethics 13, 217–228 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-015-9235-5
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-015-9235-5