Conflicts between academic misconduct and university honor codes: implications for ethical behavior

Academic misconduct besmirches the honor of those within a university. We explored Texas A&M University students’ perceptions of integrity in relation to academic misconduct. A correlational predictive non-experimental design was used to conduct the study, which was guided by a conceptualized Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). We applied a stratified random sampling using validated instruments (Ethical Sensitivity Scale Questionnaire, α = .84; and the Academic Dishonesty Tendency Scale, α = .92), and researcher-developed measures. Descriptive statistics and multi-linear regression analyses were conducted to examine predictors of academic misconduct. University students strongly agreed with ethical sensitivity domains for reading and expressing emotions, taking the perspective of others, caring by connecting to others, working with interpersonal and group differences, and generating interpretations and options. They strongly opposed academic misconduct (tendencies to cheat and citation misconduct). Academic misconduct is a complex interaction of peer pressure, institutional standards, and individual ethical awareness. These findings highlight the need for approaches to foster integrity and ethical awareness in postsecondary education. Educational institutions should incorporate formal training on ethical sensitivity into their curricula.