This paper comprehensively examines academic malpractices and assessment dishonesty in higher education institutions (HEIs) in Africa. The study highlights the urgent need for comprehensive assessment and examination systems reform. It proposes a six-stage change framework which comprises revising pedagogical and assessment strategies, fostering a…

Modafinil is a prescription-only drug in most countries. It is mainly used to treat narcolepsy and sleep disorders, but it is also used, without a prescription, as a cognitive enhancer by [approximately 10% of UK University students. Previous research has focused on the prevalence of, and motivations for, these behaviours. Here we focused…

This paper reviews issues of academic integrity, focusing on unethical practices in Kenyan universities. The rapid expansion of university education in Kenya, followed by a significant decline in the number of qualified students seeking to join private universities since 2017 have created financial pressures on universities. Some universities have…

This cross-sectional study investigated the efficacy of an extended theory of planned behavior in predicting academic dishonesty among students of higher education. The participants comprised 328 undergraduates drawn from Nigerian and Malaysian public universities. Existing measures were adapted and validated using Cronbach's alpha statistics and…

Purpose: Although the academic literature provides extensive insight into the motivations for the unethical use of information technology in online classes, little is known about how perceived justice, the opportunity to cheat and spiritual legitimacy mitigate unethical behavior among young academics. The purposes of this study are two folds:…

Academic misconduct and academic integrity are issues of importance to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Phraseologies and practices may conflate unintentional mistakes with attempts to gain illegitimate advantage, with some groups potentially at higher risk. HEIs across the United Kingdom (UK) responded to a Freedom of Information Act (FOI)…

When students experience unfairness and normlessness in their academic environment, it exemplifies the concept of social anomie. where students may justify dishonest actions such as exam cheating, plagiarism, and others. Academic honesty, a crucial moral characteristic, fundamentally relies on values, rules, and social norms. Against this…

Academic cheating is a pervasive issue in tertiary education, with implications for the competency of university graduates and their future ethical workplace behavior. Past research indicates that understanding academic cheating according to its different levels of severity allows for a more nuanced understanding of its aetiological factors, and…

This paper presents research findings on primary school students' awareness of the ethical aspects of using artificial intelligence (AI) tools for homework. The study used a self-constructed online questionnaire administered to 301 primary school students from grades five to eight attending two primary schools in Northwestern Croatia. The results…

Stories are widely used around the world to try to teach children moral lessons. However, it is often difficult for children to figure out how lessons from stories can be applied to real-life settings. In the present research, we tested whether encouraging children to be like the protagonists helps explain the success of positive moral stories…

Academic cheating is common, but little is known about its early emergence. It was examined among Chinese second to sixth graders (N = 2094; 53% boys, collected between 2018 and 2019) using a machine learning approach. Overall, 25.74% reported having cheated, which was predicted by the best machine learning algorithm (Random Forest) at a mean…

Studies about the causes of research misconduct focus on a limited range, and negative emotions are an omitted but critical area. By utilizing theories from sociology and criminology of emotions, the current study adopts an emotional aspect to analyze researchers' academic integrity issues in Chinese universities. Particularly, it examines how…

Reciprocity is a cornerstone of human cooperation, motivating individuals to assist each other at a personal cost, resulting in mutual long-term benefits. However, reciprocity can conflict with honesty norms, such as when returning favors to previous benefactors requires individuals to act dishonestly. The resulting moral dilemmas are difficult to…

Data obtained through questionnaires sometimes respond to the items presented by social norms, so sometimes they do not suit themselves. High social desirability (SD) in non-cognitive measurements will cause item bias. Several ways are used to reduce item bias, including freeing respondents from not writing their names or being anonymous,…

The problem of academic dishonesty in general and exam cheating in particular, has been ubiquitous in schools, colleges, and universities around the world. This paper reports on the findings from teachers' and students' experiences and perceptions of exam cheating at Nepali schools, colleges, and universities. In so doing, the paper highlights the…