Date of Award
8-2022
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Department
Education and Organizational Leadership Development
Committee Chair/Advisor
Daniella Hall Sutherland, Ph.D
Committee Member
Golnaz Arastoopour-Irgens, Ph.D
Committee Member
Michelle Boettcher, Ph.D
Committee Member
Barbara Nesbitt, Ph.D
Abstract
Academic dishonesty occurs in higher education. Students who choose to cheat will find a way no matter the assessment type, learning environment modality, and deterrents. Academic integrity in online assessments has been prevalent even before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, due to the recent increase in online learning modalities, cheating is at the top of faculty concerns, and many instructors believe that online assessments open the door for cheating.
I conducted a root causal analysis using an improvement science framework to identify why students cheat in higher education. This study identified two major themes of reasons students participate in academic dishonesty. First, the pressure of grades and GPA influence students to cheat. Second, personal pressures such as family expectations, time management skills (or lack thereof), and education expenses can lead students to believe they have no other options but to cheat.
Recommendations to alleviate grade and student pressures include a steering committee to identify updates to current policies and procedures related to GPA, a required academic integrity course for all students, time management and study resources for students, and assessment training for faculty. Educational leadership can create and implement interventions to help address the student pressures and, therefore, decrease the amount of academic dishonesty at higher education institutions.
Recommended Citation
Rogers, Anne Marie, "“This Is Anonymous, Right?” A Qualitative Study of Why Higher Education Students Cheat" (2022). All Dissertations. 3076.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/3076
Included in
Educational Leadership Commons, Educational Methods Commons, Educational Technology Commons, Higher Education Commons, Higher Education Administration Commons, Online and Distance Education Commons