Goal Orientations and Tendency to Neutralize Academic Cheating: An Ecological Perspective
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SESSMENT
Goal Orientations and Tendency to Neutralize Academic Cheating: An Ecological Perspective Dorit Alt & Brenda Geiger
Received: 21 May 2012 / Accepted: 5 August 2012 / Published online: 10 November 2012 # National Academy of Psychology (NAOP) India 2012
Abstract This study examined the phenomenon of academic cheating while focusing on the unique and interactive effects of sociocultural variables on academic motivation, goal orientation and self-efficacy perception of 221 Muslim and Jewish female students. A mixed quantitative and qualitative research design with Multivariate-Analysis of Covariance, Step-wise Discriminant Function Analysis, Path Analysis and semistructured interviews have been used to clarify the data obtained in various scales. Path Analysis indicated that the main factor predicting the tendency to neutralize academic cheating was the performance goal of pleasing parents mediated by extrinsic motivation. Further analysis showed between-ethnic-groups differences with Muslim students being more extrinsically motivated by the performance goal of pleasing the parents. Content analysis of the interviews conducted with 22 students showed that, in contrast to the Jewish students’ individualistic perspective, Muslim students' collective perspective put them under tremendous pressure to succeed due to the rippling effect of success on all spheres of life e.g., family’s honor, community standing, and future marriage prospects. Keywords Academic cheating . Academic goal orientation . Academic motivations . Academic self-efficacy
Dorit Alt and Brenda Geiger for joint and equal authorship. D. Alt (*) Kinneret College on the Sea of Galilee, Galilee, Israel e-mail: [email protected] B. Geiger Western Galilee College, Acre, Israel
Introduction In recent years there is a growing consensus among college instructors and staff that academic cheating has become epidemic in colleges in Israel. Bar-Ilan University, recently held an emergency conference to raise consciousness about the extent and gravity of this problem and increase awareness of the threats it poses to the academic world and society at large (Levy and Bocks 2012). Although considerable research had been devoted to academic cheating in college campuses around the world (Diekhoff et al. 1996; Hard et al. 2006), few are the studies addressing this phenomenon in Israel (i.e. Peled et al. 2012). This exploratory study examines the phenomenon of academic cheating while focusing on the unique and interactive effects of sociocultural variables on academic motivation, goal orientation and self-efficacy perception of female students. This innovative study is expected to allow for the development and implementation of culturally-based strategies to confront academic cheating in the sociocultural context within which it is embedded. Theoretical Framework Learning and the acquisition of professional and academic skills are crucial goals of higher education. Academic honesty is a valued means by which students achieve these goals, and develop character and
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