Psychology Graduate Students Weigh In: Qualitative Analysis of Academic Dishonesty and Suggestion Prevention Strategies

Abstract

The current qualitative study investigated prevalence and types of academic integrity violations in psychology graduate students (N = 201) and solicited student recommendations for how academic institutions, professors, and peers may act to discourage or prevent its occurrence. Students were recruited through email lists and asked to participate in an online study with a series of open-ended questions assessing integrity violations and prevention recommendations. Results revealed academic integrity violations were relatively infrequent (8 % of the sample) and most (75 % of reported incidents) were of relatively low severity (e.g., unauthorized use of notes during an assignment). Common antecedents to integrity violations included inadequate preparation, task difficulty, and external stressors such as health ailments that interfered with preparation. Most (53 %) violators reported engaging in a rational decision making process, weighing the pros and cons of cheating, and most (60 %) did not reveal the violation to anyone. The majority of violations (81 %) resulted in no negative consequences to the student and 44 % reported they would do it again. Students recommended better dissemination of integrity policies, greater oversight of graduate students, harsher punishments for violations, and consistent reporting of violations as prevention strategies. Results highlight how academic dishonesty in psychology graduate students may be a product of multiple time and resource demands, coupled with low self-efficacy to meet or negotiate these demands. Despite reports of external pressures being the top reason for academic integrity violations, few recommendations focused on decreasing external pressures as a mechanism to curb cheating.