Examining Meta-Analytically Supported Risk Factors for Academic Dishonesty in a Single Sample

The academic dishonesty literature has yielded several meta-analyses focused on risk factors for cheating among higher education students (e.g., academic abilities, beliefs, behaviors, situations, and extracurriculars; attitudes; and personality factors). However, there remains unique value in examining such factors within a single college student sample. A secondary data analysis focusing on replicating meta-analytically supported risk factors for academic dishonesty and examining incremental predictive utility for the outcome of whether university students cheated upon their most recent opportunity to do so. Point-biserial correlations and logistic regression were utilized. Bivariable analyses revealed significant associations between cheating and both academic and extracurricular-related behaviors (rs Range = |.07 to .32|). Positive attitudes towards cheating were also moderately associated with cheating (rs Range = |.18 to .23|). Prosocial personality factors were negatively associated with cheating whereas antisocial factors were positively associated (rs Range = |.08 to .25|). Situational factors—such as perceived opportunity for, and environmental prevalence of, cheating—were positively associated with cheating (rs Range = |.10 to .18|). Among the significant bivariable associations, only (1) a history of cheating behaviors and (2) the specific attitude that cheating was common among other students at one’s school were incrementally predictive of cheating. We replicated many meta-analytic risk factors for cheating in a single, contemporary sample of higher education students. However, we extended these findings with results suggesting that most factors did not lend incremental predictive utility to cheating. Results were suggestive of the importance of employing cheating detection strategies and both primary and tertiary interventions.