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Published on: May 3, 2016
Influence of attitudes toward curriculum on dishonest academic behavior
Zubin Austin1, David Collins, Alfred Remillard
1Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Canada. zubin.austin@utoronto.ca
Objectives:
The objective of this study was to examine possible associations between students' self-reported behaviors and opinions towards academic dishonesty, and their attitudes towards curriculum, assessment, and teaching within the pharmacy program.
Methods:
A questionnaire was developed and distributed to undergraduate (pre-licensure) students at 4 schools of pharmacy in Canada, including students enrolled in the international pharmacy graduate program.
Results:
More than 80% of respondents indicated they had participated in one or more of the act of academic dishonesty described in the questionnaire. A weak to moderate correlation was found between students' attitudes towards pharmacy education and their self-reported behaviors related to academic dishonesty.
Conclusions:
This study confirmed previous findings suggesting widespread academic dishonesty as well as a hierarchy of values with respect to students' perceptions regarding severity and importance of academic dishonesty. Despite methodological limitations inherent in examining academic dishonesty, there is a definite need to continue to examine this important issue. While this study indicated only a moderate correlation between attitudes towards curriculum and dishonest behaviors, the problem of academic misconduct is multifactorial and will require ongoing study.
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