Nursing faculty's experiences with managing academic integrity in prelicensure nursing education: A qualitative study

Academic integrity is foundational to higher education and essential in nursing, where it aligns with professional integrity and ethical practice. Although nursing is known for honesty, research shows nursing students engage in academic misconduct at rates similar to other disciplines. Faculty play a critical role in promoting integrity; however, limited research has explored their experiences managing misconduct.

The purpose of this study was to explore how nursing faculty describe their experiences managing academic integrity in prelicensure nursing programs.

A qualitative descriptive design examined the experiences of nine nurse educators teaching in prelicensure programs. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using Creswell and Poth's Data Analysis Spiral.

Six major themes emerged: (1) Defining Academic Integrity, (2) Academic Integrity Training, (3) Strategies for Promoting Integrity, (4) Faculty Experiences with Academic Misconduct, (5) Faculty Insights on Student Groups in Academic Misconduct, and (6) Faculty Perceptions of Administrative Support. Findings revealed limited faculty training, inconsistent administrative support, and challenges in fostering a culture of integrity.

Results underscore the need for clear policies, structured faculty development, and consistent administrative support to strengthen academic integrity education for faculty and students.