Examining the Association Between Attitude and Academic Cheating

• In Event: Roundtable Discussions on Moral Development and Education 2

Abstract

Informed by the theory of planned behavior (TPB) as well as prior research, we propose a conceptual model to better understand how different factors influence academic cheating among undergraduate students. Using a large-scale national sample and structural equation modeling, we find that lack of self-control, attitude toward academic misconduct, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control relates to student engagement in academic cheating. Attitude toward academic cheating serves as an important predictor of student engagement in academic cheating. It also mediates the relationship between lack of self-control and student engagement in cheating behavior. Since attitude toward academic cheating is malleable, such findings have important implications for student learning and institutional interventions.

Author

• Hongwei Yu, Texas State University