Prevalence, Motives, and Views of Academic Dishonesty in Higher Education

Academic dishonesty in educational institutions is a cause for concern at present. In this paper, the prevalence and severity of various types of dishonest academic behaviors were determined based on the experiences and perceptions of college students. Self-reports on reasons for engaging in a type of cheating or plagiarism were also collected and analyzed to identify certain themes. Findings suggest that cheating on exams and homework is still prevalent, students view these dishonest behaviors as ordinary school acts, and their actions are a product of several factors – teacher’s and student’s incompetence, unfavorable environment, and lenient imposition of school policy. Certain ethical dilemmas were deduced from the results of the study, such as the varying perceptions on the morality of unfair academic manners and the relative importance of deceit over success.