title: Are competition and extrinsic motivation reliable predictors of academic cheating?
abstract: Previous studies suggest that extrinsic motivation and competition are reliable predictors of academic cheating. The aim of the present questionnaire study was to separate the effects of motivation- and competition-related variables on academic cheating by Hungarian high school students (N = 620, M = 264, F = 356). Structural equation modeling showed that intrinsic motivation has a negative effect, and amotivation has a positive indirect effect on self-reported academic cheating. In contrast, extrinsic motivation had no significant effect. Indirect positive influence on cheating, based on some characteristics of hypercompetition, was also found, whereas attitudes toward self-developmental competition had a mediated negative influence. Neither constructive nor destructive competitive classroom climate had a significant impact on academic dishonesty. Acceptance of cheating and guilt has significant and direct effect on self-reported cheating. In comparison with them, the effects of motivational and competition-related variables are relatively small, even negligible. These results suggest that extrinsic motivation and competition are not amongst the most reliable predictors of academic cheating behavior.
authors: Institute of Psychology, University of Szeged Szeged, Hungary ; Department of Psychology, University of Rheims Champagne-Ardenne Rheims, France ; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology, MTA Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences Budapest, Hungary.
authors: Gábor
authors: G
authors: Orosz
authors: Dávid
authors: D
authors: Farkas
authors: Christine
authors: C
authors: Roland-Lévy
keywords: academic cheating; amotivation; competition; competitive climate; extrinsic motivation; hypercompetition; intrinsic motivation; self-developmental competition