Exploring Honor Code Perceptions, Moral Reasoning, and Attitudes toward Learning: Establishing Concurrent Validity for the Honor Code Perceptions Scale

This research project was conducted in order to examine student response to our recently devised instrument, the Honor Code Perceptions Scale. A past study investigated students’ perception of the Valparaiso University Honor Code along multiple dimensions, such as Honor Code effectiveness, tendency to engage in cheating behaviors, and toleration of others’ cheating behavior. The current study used additional instruments to measure students’ level of moral reasoning, academic motivation, and socially desirable responding. We assessed each of these variables using, respectively, the Defining Issues Test (DIT), the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Survey (PALS), and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. Researchers examined relationships among responses to these instruments in order to establish concurrent validity for the Honor Code Perceptions Scale