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Lying and cheating: fraudulent excuse making, cheating, and plagiarism
1Department of Psychology, Notre Dame Division of St. John's College, St. John's University, 300 Howard Avenue, Staten Island, NY, USA. roigm@stjohns.edu
The Journal of Psychology
|January 20, 2006
Summary
Most college students (72%) admit to using fraudulent excuses, which correlates with cheating and plagiarism. Lower GPAs were linked to these academic dishonesty behaviors.
Area of Science:
- Educational Psychology
- Academic Integrity Research
- Student Behavior Analysis
Background:
- Academic dishonesty is a persistent issue in higher education.
- Understanding the prevalence and correlates of student misconduct is crucial for developing effective interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the frequency of fraudulent excuse use among undergraduates.
- To examine the relationship between using fraudulent excuses and other forms of academic dishonesty, such as cheating and plagiarism.
- To explore the correlation between academic performance (GPA) and these behaviors.
Main Methods:
- A survey was administered to undergraduate students to self-report the use of fraudulent excuses.
- Independent self-report measures were used to assess cheating and plagiarism behaviors.
- Grade point average (GPA) data was collected for correlation analysis.
Main Results:
- A significant majority of students (72%) reported using fraudulent excuses at least once during college.
- The use of fraudulent excuses showed a positive correlation with self-reported cheating (r = .38) and plagiarism (r = .27).
- Grade point average was negatively correlated with fraudulent excuses and cheating, though not significantly with plagiarism.
Conclusions:
- Fraudulent excuse use is common among undergraduates and is associated with other academic integrity violations.
- Academic performance may be inversely related to engaging in dishonest academic behaviors.
- Further research is needed to understand the nuances of academic dishonesty and its impact on student outcomes.
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