Academic Performance and Cheating: Moderating Role of School Identification and Self-Efficacy

Academic dishonesty is a significant problem among students from elementary school through college. The desire to succeed in school through dishonesty is increased when there is a breakdown in the norms associated with conventional academic attitudes. The authors conducted a survey research study to examine the relationship between academic performance and cheating. They hypothesized that the inverse relationship between academic performance and cheating is moderated by school identification and academic self-efficacy. The results show that cheating is more likely among lower achieving students when they do not identify with school, and among higher achieving students with low levels of academic self-efficacy.