Student Identification of Academic Cheating Typology and the Link to Shoplifting Motivation

Abstract

Employing and testing shoplifting-based constructs, we develop and validate a new multifaceted cheating behavior scale that allows educators to segment cheating behavior into what students perceive as trivial versus serious cheating. Results confirm that shoplifting-based scales perform well as predictors of cheating and also suggest that from their perspective, students do perceive two different types of cheating behavior: one serious and the other minor. For serious infractions (e.g., copying another's work) only economic factors play a part in the student's decision to engage in cheating behavior. However, for minor infractions (e.g., turning the same paper in for more than one class) economic factors, unattainable grades, and low perceived risk all play a role in the decision to cheat. Interestingly, contrary to anecdotal evidence, peer influence does not influence cheating.