Are competition and extrinsic motivation reliable predictors of academic cheating?

Gábor Orosz,Christine Roland-Lévy,Dávid Farkas

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00087

Abstract

Previous studies suggest that extrinsic motivation and competition are reliable predictors of academic cheating. The aim of the present questionnaire study was to separate the effects of motivation- and competition-related variables on academic cheating by Hungarian high school students (N = 620, M = 264, F = 356). Structural equation modeling showed that intrinsic motivation has a negative effect, and amotivation has a positive indirect effect on self-reported academic cheating. In contrast, extrinsic motivation had no significant effect. Indirect positive influence on cheating, based on some characteristics of hypercompetition, was also found, whereas attitudes toward self-developmental competition had a mediated negative influence. Neither constructive nor destructive competitive classroom climate had a significant impact on academic dishonesty. Acceptance of cheating and guilt has significant and direct effect on self-reported cheating. In comparison with them, the effects of motivational and competition-related variables are relatively small, even negligible. These results suggest that extrinsic motivation and competition are not amongst the most reliable predictors of academic cheating behavior.

Highlights

COMPETITION IN THE CLASSROOM In the introduction of Anderman and Murdock’s (2007) seminal book on academic cheating, the authors summarized the role of classroom competition in the following way: “Competition is perhaps the single most toxic ingredient in a classroom, and it is a reliable predictor of cheating ”
Firstly, exploratory factor analyses (EFA) confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) and reliability results will be described in the following order: Individual differences of competition scale (IDCS), competitive climate” scale (CCS), and Academic Motivation Scale (AMS) (Vallerand et al, 1992)
For IDCS, CFA confirmed the three-factor structure, with Self-developmental competition (SD) competition, Positive attitudes toward competition (PAC), and HC emerging as distinct factors

Summary

Introduction

COMPETITION IN THE CLASSROOM In the introduction of Anderman and Murdock’s (2007) seminal book on academic cheating, the authors summarized the role of classroom competition in the following way: “Competition is perhaps the single most toxic ingredient in a classroom, and it is a reliable predictor of cheating ” Between 1940 and 1990, few studies reported positive aspects of competition (Julian et al, 1966; Rabbie and Wilkens, 1971; Vallerand and Reid, 1984; Reeve et al, 1986). Both before and after this period several articles have suggested that competition can have positive effects on performance, interpersonal relationships, resource control, intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, etc. A significant amount of research have demonstrated that competition can have positive consequences; it can be useful to distinguish at least the two main forms of it, namely its constructive and destructive aspects (Erev et al, 1993; Tjosvold et al, 2003, 2006; Fülöp, 2008)

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