Abstract
A cross-national study with university students from Germany (n = 1135) and Turkey (n = 634) tested whether personal belief in a just world (PBJW) predicts students’ life satisfaction and academic cheating. Based on the just-world theory and empirical findings in the school context, we expected university students with a stronger personal BJW to be more satisfied with their lives and cheat less than those with a weaker BJW. Further, we investigated the mediating role of justice experiences with lecturers and fellow students in these relations. Differences in PBJW directly and indirectly predicted undergraduates’ life satisfaction. Students’ justice experiences with peers mediated the relationship between PBJW and life satisfaction. Differences in PBJW indirectly predicted undergraduates’ academic cheating. Students’ justice experiences with lecturers mediated the relationship between PBJW and academic cheating. The results did not differ between German and Turkish students and persisted when we controlled for gender, start of studies, socially desirable responding, general BJW, and self-efficacy. We discussed the importance of personal BJW’s adaptive functions and their relevance for international university research and practice.
Highlights
Students’ transition from school to university is closely linked with increased selfresponsibility, self-regulated learning, and a higher level of expectations (Justus, 2017; Schiefele, Streblow, & Brinkmann, 2007)
We focused on the cross-national generalization of the expected relations between Personal belief in a just world (PBJW) and life satisfaction as well as academic cheating
One aim of our study was to investigate the extent to which the expected relations between PBJW and life satisfaction as well as academic cheating and the mediation effects can be generalized across university students from different countries. The results from both studies confirm most of our hypotheses and support other studies that show justice experiences mediate the relationship between PBJW and outcomes in different situational settings, and other countries, such as Turkey, India, and Portugal (e.g., Correia & Dalbert, 2007; Dalbert & Stoeber, 2006; Donat et al, 2016; Kamble & Dalbert, 2012; Kiral Ucar et al, 2019)
Summary
Students’ transition from school to university is closely linked with increased selfresponsibility, self-regulated learning, and a higher level of expectations (Justus, 2017; Schiefele, Streblow, & Brinkmann, 2007). Due to the change in the learning environment and its new demands on university students, topics such as life satisfaction and cheating behavior in test situations are of interest. One aim of this research on psychological processes in education is to identify factors that can explain students’ life satisfaction and such unjust behavior. PBJW is focused on a person’s social environment and defined as their conviction that they live in a just world, in which they are usually treated justly (Dalbert, 1999). Researchers have shown that PBJW significantly relates to life satisfaction (e.g., Correia, Batista & Lima, 2009), dishonesty, delinquency, and academic cheating (e.g., Donat, Dalbert, & Kamble, 2014) among secondary school students and adults.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
