Students’ Attitudes and Behavior towards Academic Dishonesty during Online Learning

Abstract

Online learning has been an integral part of the educational process in universities, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the popularity of online learning, concerns exist over their level of academic integrity. The aim of this study is to investigate students’ attitudes and behavior towards academic dishonesty during online learning. In total, 319 undergraduate health sciences students at a public university took part in the survey. The online self-administered questionnaire was distributed through a social media platform. Data collected were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 25.0. Majority of the respondents perceived the indicated behavior as serious cheating. However, most respondents (86.2%) self-report that they have engaged in academically dishonest behaviour at least once for the past one year. Furthermore, approximately 77% (n = 246) of respondent has witnessed act of academic dishonesty among their friends for the past one year. Spearman correlation test revealed no association between students’ attitudes and behavior towards academic dishonesty during online learning. The result of this study, in summary, is that students perceive the indicated behaviors as serious cheating and have engaged in academically dishonest behaviors less frequently.