An investigation of academic dishonesty in allied health: incidence and definitions

Abstract

Educators in the health sciences are concerned about academic dishonesty and are searching for methods to control misconduct. If students falsify academic work, their behavior pattern may continue in professional practice, endangering the health and well-being of the patients in their care. This paper presents the results of a study of the attitudes and experiences regarding dishonest academic behaviors of a sample of 244 students and 31 faculty in the School of Health Professions at Southwest Texas State University. Student and faculty definitions of dishonest behavior were compared, and the incidence of dishonest behavior and the experiences of faculty in recognizing and disciplining students for academic misconduct were analyzed. Major findings included: 1) faculty, undergraduate, and graduate students differ in their definitions of some types of dishonest behavior; and 2) the most common types of dishonest behavior identified by faculty and students involve cheating and plagiarism. Future research is warranted with attention given to the causal factors leading to academic dishonesty and patterns of dishonesty in academic and practice settings.