Factors that Influence Faculty Actions: A Study on Faculty Responses to Academic Dishonesty

Persistent academic dishonesty has perplexed researchers who focus their studies on why students cheat. There are limited studies regarding the faculty perspective of this issue. This study explores factors that influence faculty action when faced with dishonesty or evidence of dishonesty. A questionnaire consisting of thirty-five items was sent to all 242 faculty members of a mid-size state university in the United States . The results of the study indicated that a majority of the respondents agree that dishonesty is a major problem, and they agreed that it is critical to take proactive measures to deter dishonesty; however, the respondents did not agree on whether the judicial process is fair and impartial. A majority of the respondents stated that they would comply with the institution's honesty policy, but 82.9% indicated that it was difficult to compile evidence or proof of misconduct. Other results indicated that the amount of time required to pursue suspected incidents appeared to deter faculty from taking actions.