Academic Dishonesty and Autonomy Linked 14 Academic Dishonesty and Autonomy Linked

The researcher investigated the relationship between adolescent autonomy and reported academic dishonesty, using the Undergraduate Academic Dishonesty Survey (Lipson & McGavern, 1993), a section of the Psychological Well-Being Scale (Ryff, 1989), and a demographic survey. The 40 participants (34 women and 6 men), selected from a Christian liberal arts college in the Midwestern United States, ranged in age from 18 to 24 (M = 19.73). The results showed a significant difference in levels of academic dishonesty between people with low levels of autonomy and those with medium levels in that students with low levels of autonomy reported a greater amount of academic dishonesty. Interestingly, 100 % of the students in the study reported cheating at least once during the current academic year. The results suggest a possible relationship between a perceived sense of autonomy and reported academic dishonesty. Most teachers and administrators in schools deal with academic dishonesty on a regular basis. Middle school students, high school students, and college students alike will admit to having cheated in some way at school. The Center for Academic Integrity (Keohane, 1999) reported that over 75 percent of college students cheat at some point in college. This organization also reported that “8