Academic Integrity: Perceived Level of Seriousness of Academic Dishonesty among University Students

Imelia Laura Daneil, Tang Howe Eng, Jacqueline Susan Rijeng, Siti Faridah Bt. Kamaruddin

Abstract: Students hold different level of seriousness towards the different types of academic dishonesty due to various contextual reasons and factors. Surprisingly, students perceived cheating as a survival skill that provides them with the competitive edge and mastering cheating methods in order to excel academically. This study is conducted in one of the Malaysian universities. It aims to discover the perceived rate of seriousness when students witness their friends committed the following academic dishonesty behaviors: (1) Cheating on quiz, (2) Cheating on exam, (3) Cheating on coursework (i.e., assignment) and (4) Plagiarism. Significantly, this study found that university students perceived cheating on exam as the most serious act of academic dishonesty behavior as compare to cheating in quiz, coursework and plagiarism. In conclusion, students perceived the engagement in academic dishonesty behaviors as moderately serious cheatings. In depth study should be conducted to explore more contextual factors that contribute to the perceived level of seriousness of academic dishonesty among

university students.

Key words: academic integrity, academic dishonesty, perceived level