Effects of perceived achievement on academic integrity behaviors in students from High School X

Abstract

Academic integrity has increased in importance as academic cheating in high school becomes more rampant. An understanding of why high school students cheat and their subsequent moral neutralization has been explored in previous research, however it is still unknown how achievement levels or perceptions of relative success within adolescents impacts the acceptance of cheating behaviors. This study focuses on School X, located in South Florida, and serves to discover the correlation between achievement (including unweighted GPA, class ranking, and overall relative achievement metrics) with willingness to cheat. The quantitative methodology was a correlational study that utilized a survey and a test guided by leveraging student perceptions of relative academic success and relating it to student willingness to cheat. The Spearman Rank and Point Biserial Correlational Significance test were utilized for the survey, while independent and paired T-Tests were used for the separate correlational study. Findings indicate nuance in how certain aspects of achievement impact student moral integrity, where no conclusions could be drawn accepting or rejecting the hypothesis. While AP classes were positively correlated with cheating, moral disengagement was seen in both higher and lower scoring participants, advocating the complexity of academic integrity and solidifying calls for increased efforts in school in cheating prevention and preserving the value of education.