Factors that Influence Self-Perceived Academic Cheating: An Empirical Evidence of Business Students

Abstract

For decades, academic cheating is one of the imperative topics that have been uncovered in the field of education. In fact, recent statistics on academic cheating among students in higher education institutions are reported to be on the rise. The main purpose of this study is to examine factors contributing to academic cheating behaviors among business students in a public university, in Malaysia. This quantitative research is intended to determine the relationships of internet facilities, lack of competencies, negative attitudes and pressures towards academic cheating. A total of 364 tertiary students were involved in this study. Descriptive analysis, Pearson correlation and multiple regressions were used to analyze the data collected and to test hypotheses. The results found that negative attitude was the most significant predictor of academic cheating. Therefore, it is hoped that the results of this study will enlighten the educators and higher education institutions to better understand the reasons behind the occurrence of academic cheating activities among undergraduate students.