Effects of classroom context on university students' judgments about cheating: mediating and moderating processes

Authors: Murdock, Tamera; Miller, Angela; Goetzinger, Amy

Source: Social Psychology of Education, Volume 10, Number 2, June 2007 , pp. 141-169(29)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

Hypothetical vignettes were used to examine the effects of classroom context variables (pedagogical quality and classroom goal structure) on undergraduate (study 1) and graduate (study 2) students' judgments about cheating. Consistent with attribution theory and previous findings, poor (versus good) pedagogy and performance (versus mastery) goals structures resulted in more teacher blame and less student blame for cheating, and cheating was rated as more acceptable and more likely in these situations. Participants' own prior cheating history but not their experience as a classroom teacher also affected these judgments. Relations between classroom context variables and assigned blame for cheating were mediated by students' assessments of the fairness of the classroom situation.

Keywords: cheating; neutralizing attitudes; classroom effects; attributions

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11218-007-9015-1

Affiliations: 1: Email: murdocktb@umkc.edu

Publication date: 2007-06-01