Students' Perception and Practices of Academic Dishonesty: The Case of Debre Markos University, Ethiopia

Abstract

To become a competent professional, it requires not only subject matter knowledge and practical skills, but also high moral values and responsibilities including academic integrity. However, academic dishonesty has becoming an impediment for universities' mission in producing competent and ethically responsible citizens. This study was therefore conducted to investigate the perception and practices of academic dishonesty among students in Debre Markos University. To achieve this objective, cross-sectional survey design was employed. 349 students who were selected using proportional stratified random sampling technique participated in the study. From the participants of the study, data were collected using questionnaire. The collected data was analyzed quantitatively using descriptive and inferential statistics, such as percentage, mean, t-test and one-way analysis of variance using SPSS version 20. The findings of the study showed that the majority (86.9%) of students perceived each listed behaviours as minor or serious dishonest behaviors, yet 55% of them reported that they engaged in cheating one or more times during their university lives. The finding of the study also revealed that there is no statistically significant mean difference between male and female students in their perception of academically dishonest behaviors in terms of their sex and grade level. We concluded that most students were aware of academically dishonest behaviors, but high proportion of them engaged in cheating behaviors.