Academic dishonesty amongst Industrial Psychology Students. Angie Patricio

Transcription

1 Academic dishonesty amongst Industrial Psychology Students Angie Patricio

2 Dan Ariely Introducing ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

3 Jordan Belfort Jeffrey Skilling Bernard Madoff Why academic dishonesty?

4 Academic dishonesty often develops into dishonesty in the workplace Students are exposed to a world of unethical leaders, confusing between right and wrong Students engaging in academic dishonesty see a necessity for it Compromising personal ethical standards Lying to get ahead Why academic dishonesty?

5 79.7% 67% Admitted to cheating at least once during their academic career

6 I hereby commit myself to unconditionally abide by the following commitments to the best of my ability and judgement As an industrial psychologist, my foremost responsibility is to promote and balance organisational and societal prosperity with human flourishing. I accept that work forms an integral part of people s lives, that organisations cannot thrive without the commitment and contribution of people, and that it is through work that we can make the world a better place for all. I follow in the footsteps of past and current industrial psychologists who gave our discipline and profession scientific credibility. I will value and utilise their contributions, methods and wisdom to assist individuals, groups and organisations in making the most of the opportunities afforded by the world of work. I am professionally and ethically bound to serve those societies, institutions and lives with which I interact professionally with integrity, respect and dignity. I am committed to doing the right thing fairly and consistently and to causing no harm. I endeavour to be just, to respect individual differences and to encourage equality and diversity. I will speak out against all wrongs. As a scientist in the discipline of industrial psychology, I have an obligation to conduct all inquiry with the necessary scientific rigour. I will uphold my expert knowledge of human experience and behaviour in the world of work. I will continually develop myself and my knowledge and skills in order to remain at the forefront of our science. As a practitioner in the discipline of industrial psychology, I will practice my profession with due care and make decisions based on valid, reliable and unbiased information. My practice will be evidence-based and I will evaluate all information critically and impartially. I embrace the challenge to make a balanced and truthful contribution. I will share my insights with confidence and conviction, in an open and responsible manner. As an industrial psychologist, I strive to live up to expectations associated with this worthy profession. I am professionally responsible and accountable in all of my actions and interactions. Therein lies the trust that others place in me. May I live and preserve the finest traditions of my calling and long experience the joy of making a true difference. Why Industrial Psychology students?

7 STRIKES CYBERLOAFING FRAUD Our leaders of tomorrow? AFFAIRS TOXIC LEADERSHIP

8 Academic Dishonesty simply to cheat or plagiarise Unauthorised use of notes on exams, plagiarising and hiring professionals to write papers Falsifying data copying, using crib notes in tests or exams and entering formulas into scientific calculators or cell phones copying another student s work without permission, using cheat sheets, plagiarising or using unauthorised resources for a test or assignment DEFINING ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

9 Academic Dishonesty Cheating during a test Plagiarising Paying money for better marks on assessments Falsifying data Justifying dishonest behaviour Getting a substitute individual to take a test on ones behalf Misusing resources and manipulating academic staff Parks (2003) DEFINING ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

10 Relating to Adam Smith and Thomas Hobbes- The concept of rational and selfish human behaviour fuels individuals susceptibility to cheat by trading off the external benefit with the calculated cost of the dishonest act ACADEMIC DISHONESTY IN UNIVERSITIES

11 Chris Avenir (Ryerson University) Committing academic misconduct in hosting a Facebook study group for 146 chemistry students to collaborate on individual assignments Students argued that the virtual classroom is the new domain to share information and collaborate in a study group. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY IN UNIVERSITIES

12 Mosaic plagiarism students borrow text from different sources in order to construct one full paragraph Companies known as paper mills have also been found to be selling written material to students that could be passed off as their own ACADEMIC DISHONESTY IN UNIVERSITIES

13 55% of US 84% of Polish students PREVALENCE OF ACADEMIC DISHONESTY Cheated at least once during college 63.8% of engineering students Cheated a few times a term 100% take part in such behaviour when an answer sheet was "mistakenly" attached to the back of a test 86.9% Plagiarism 52.6% Serious plagiarism tasks 38% 2 nd year psychology students at a South African university had committed academic dishonesty at least once

14 Largely determined by the attitude of a student s friends Fear of getting caught or facing sanction Attitude of guilt, consciousness, shame or loss of personal respect Students justified their reasoning ethical dilemmas enter into a state of cognitive dissonance (An attempt to resolve the psychological tension by justifying the unethical decision) ATTITUDE TOWARDS ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

15 Justify their behaviour reaction to panic stress or pressure to get higher grades in order to have a better job Students strongly believed that faculty needs to be more lenient in its repercussions to cheating if the act of cheating was due to panic, stress or pressure to get higher grades ATTITUDE TOWARDS ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

16 But what s happening in South Africa?

17 Prevalence of academic dishonesty Attitude towards academic dishonesty

18 METHODOLOGY Research Approach Mixed method approach Influence of attitudes toward curriculum on dishonest academic behavior. (Austin, Z., Collins, D., Remillard, A., Kelcher, S. & Chui, S. (2006)) Student academic dishonesty: What do academics think and do, and what are the barriers to action? (Thomas, A. & de Bruin, G.P. (2012)) Research Design Cross-sectional (fixed point in time) Research Participants 1 st-, 2 nd-, 3 rd- year students, honours and masters n= 418 students

19 METHODOLOGY Measuring Instruments Prevalence In your opinion, how many times per year do you think fellow classmates commit academic dishonesty in this university? How often have you committed academic dishonesty during this year? Attitude Why do you think that students commit academic dishonesty For what other reasons do students commit academic dishonesty What are the risks involved (if any) in getting caught being academically dishonest.

20 METHODOLOGY Measuring Instruments What are the chances of getting caught being academically dishonest within the university? What are the chances of being disciplined if caught being academically dishonest in the university? How serious is the discipline likely to be if caught being academically dishonest in the university?

21 METHODOLOGY Measuring Instruments 18 scenarios, given the following questions: Did this scenario constitute academic dishonesty? If "yes", how serious was the breach? Have you ever engaged in this behaviour? Are you aware of other students in your school (university) engaging in this behaviour?

22 What happens now?

23 OBJECTIVES 1. According to the students how prevalent is academic dishonesty amongst peers within the institution? 2. How prevalent is academic dishonesty within a specific cohort of students according to different years of study, genders, age groups and registered degrees? 3. What is the general attitude of a specific cohort of students within the institution toward academic dishonesty distinguished: 1. Ways academic dishonesty is committed 2. Reason for committing academic dishonesty 3. Perceived risks of being caught and the perceptions of seriousness?

24 OBJECTIVES 4. How does a cohort of industrial psychology students at this institution compare to a cohort of pharmacy students in Canada with regard to their attitudes toward academic dishonesty? 4. How do the findings from this study complement the findings from a recent study at the same South African university that explored faculty s perceptions and attitudes regarding academic dishonesty at the institution?

25 PREVALENCE OF ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

26 Perception of academic dishonesty committed by peers, % All of the time Most of the time Some of the time A few times 26.5 None of the time Missing data All of the time Most of the time Postgraduate Third Year Second Year First Year General Self-reported academic dishonesty committed this year, % Some of the time A few times None of the time Missing data Postgraduate Third Year Second Year First Year General

27 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GENDER, AGE GROUPS, IOP VS. OTHER DEGREES NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE COULD BE DETECTED BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT GROUPS Chi-square test for independence

28 ATTITUDE OF ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

29 1. WAYS OF COMMITTING ACADEMIC DISHONESTY What do students think their peers are doing?

30 What do students think their peers are doing? Across all the year groups, the 4 highest categories: Crib notes, cheating, direct copying and plagiarism Crib notes by peers Increase across undergraduate year groups But then decreased in postgraduate Cheating Decrease across all the year groups. Directly copying the work of others Highly regarded as behaviour committed by peers across undergraduate year groups Less considered at a postgraduate level. Plagiarism without acknowledging the source Perceived more strongly across the year groups to occur, with the exception of the second years. Committing plagiarism by copying and pasting assignments, quizzes or open book tests More prevalently in first year, with a steady decline as the years progress.

31 1. WAYS OF COMMITTING ACADEMIC DISHONESTY What academic dishonesty have students been taking part in over their entire university career?

32 What academic dishonesty have students been taking part in over their entire university career? Plagiarism by copying and pasting peers Decrease as the years progressed Plagiarism through referencing and acknowledgement of the source More prevalent as the year groups proceeded Only postgraduate students Use their own previous assignments to complete a new assignment Make up false excuses for missing classes

33 1. WAYS OF COMMITTING ACADEMIC DISHONESTY What academic dishonesty have students been taking part in this year?

34 What academic dishonesty have students been taking part in this year? Copying and pasting assignments Greatest amounts of students amongst undergraduate students Not evident in the postgraduate course Postgraduate students Do not plagiarise through copying and pasting Increase in the amount plagiarising through incorrect referencing and not acknowledging the source in comparison to undergraduate years Students do allow other students to complete their assignments for them Minimal, even at a postgraduate level Postgraduate students tended to only report back on committing academic dishonesty within assignments this year

35 2. REASONS FOR COMMITTING ACADEMIC DISHONESTY Reasons for committing academic dishonesty, % There is no justification Students are lazy Easiness of committing academic dishonesty Time pressure To get a good job after university The lecturer is not teaching properly Panic/stress Pressure to get higher marks Students are not sure about what is and what is not academic dishonesty First Year Second Year Third Year Postgraduate

36 Additional reasons Peer pressures minimally decline across all year groups Postgraduate students Individual influences that are of a more intrinsic internal locus of control Undergraduate students Across the board of all influences Less prevalently in terms of individual influences, apart from bad time management Indicates a more external locus of control.

37 3. PERCEIVED RISKS INVOLVED IN BEING CAUGHT Students across all year groups More inclined to regard expulsion as a greater risk more so than suspension Increase in the perception of expulsion if caught from first year (67%) to all the other years (74% - 77%). Postgraduate students More aware of the cancellation of the degree in comparison to undergraduate students Greater concern amongst postgraduate students in comparison to undergraduate students that they would have difficulty being hired for a job thereafter if caught

38 PERCEPTION OF SERIOUSNESS

39 SOUTH AFRICAN RESULTS What are the chances of getting caught being academically dishonest within the university? Majority of participants in all year groups Somewhat likely As the years progressed Less likely to perceive academic dishonesty as very likely Few to no students Not likely at all to happen What are the chances of being disciplined if caught being academically dishonest in the university? All students perceived discipline as very likely Students also tended to perceive discipline to be somewhat likely Hardly any students considered discipline to be not likely at all How serious is the discipline likely to be if caught being academically dishonest in the university? Consequences of being caught Majority of students - very serious. Few to no students - not serious at all or minor consequences. Some students - reasonably serious.

40 SOUTH AFRICAN RESULTS vs. CANADIAN RESULTS Four main differences between overseas students and South African students Writing mnemonics on one s hands or arms as academic dishonesty South African students- More likely to consider as AD Canadian students were more unsure about its classification Borrowing ideas from fellow students without directly copying South African students unsure Canadian students - definitely AD Saw copying an assignment structure with or without the permission of the owner of the assignment South African students academic dishonesty Canadian students were not sure Regard false sick notes South African students were more likely to regard as AD Canadian students were not as likely to be as sure of the nature

41 CONCLUSION Students do tend to become more ethical as they progress throughout their university career Industrial psychology oath does play a vital role in changing the perception of individuals within the field

42 CONCLUSION Importance to begin educating industrial psychology students of the value of ethics and the role of the oath within the profession, in order to allow for a culture of integrity to be internalised A culture of honesty needs to be enforced within the student domain, which will allow for more ethical decisions to be taken. A greater understanding promoted amongst students The negative consequences of being academic dishonesty. The reflection it has of the individual.

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