Analysis of Students’ Cheating Behaviors: Application of Multidimensional Scaling

Academic ethics violation (cheating) among students is a major issue in higher education. This issue is relatively common and its study concern remains high. The purpose of this descriptive survey research was to analyze the cheating behaviors among college students using multidimensional scaling approach. The statistical population was College of Agriculture’s master students at Razi University (N= 265). A sample of 107 students was selected using stratified sampling technique. A questionnaire was utilized for information gathering. The research instrument was validated by Psychology and Measurement faculty members. The reliability of the questionnaire as a measure of internal consistency was determined via Cronbach's alpha (0.91). Part of data was analyzed by multidimensional scaling. Results showed that students illustrated two cheating behaviors dimensions. The first dimension was interpreted as "type of cheating behavior" and the second as "seriousness of cheating behavior". Results revealed that competition among students is the main reason for academic cheating behaviors. In students’ opinion, the majority of cheating behaviors are common and serious at university context. The results could have implications for higher education administrators to understand students’ perceptions toward cheating behaviors.