| Don McCabe
| Templeton Research
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Critical Transitions: An Analysis Of Students' Perceptions, Attitudes and Behaviors Related to Academic Integrity During the Transition from High School to College
Ashley Mouberry
Community Director
Department of Housing and Residential
Education
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Project Summary
The purpose of the proposed research is to explore if and how students' perceptions, attitudes and behaviors regarding academic integrity change as they transition from high school to college. The goals of the proposed study are as follows:
-
To determine if there is a significant difference between students' pre-college perceptions, attitudes and behaviors regarding academic integrity and students' perceptions, attitudes and behaviors regarding academic integrity after completing one full semester of college or university studies.
- To determine if and how students' experiences during
their first semester of college influence their perceptions,
attitudes and behaviors regarding academic integrity. Specifically,
this study will focus on how students' perceptions,
attitudes and behaviors regarding academic integrity are
influenced by the following factors:
- Class size
- Course workload
- Opportunity to engage in dishonest acts
- Perceived pressure to succeed
- Perceived peer culture
- Availability of technology
- Perceived severity of punishment for getting caught engaging in dishonest acts
-
To determine if and how institutional polices and practices influence first-semester college students' perceptions, attitudes and behaviors regarding academic integrity. This study will specifically focus on the following institutional policies and practices:
- The existence or non-existence of an honor code (full vs. modified vs. none)
- Signing of the honor pledge
- Programmatic initiatives focused on honor and integrity
- Students' perceptions of the attitudes and behaviors of faculty and administrators regarding academic integrity
Procedures: This study will consist of
a mixed methods approach using a locally developed quantitative
survey instrument, administered as a pre-test and a post-test,
followed by a qualitative interview. This project will be
conducted in three phases:
Phase I: The researcher will contact administrators
at three North Carolina high schools to receive permission
to administer the quantitative survey, in class, to graduating
seniors during the last month of classes (May 2004) prior
to final examinations. The survey will focus on gathering
information about the individual student's perceptions,
attitudes and behaviors related to academic integrity. The
survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete and
at the end of the survey the respondents will be asked to
indicate whether or not they have enrolled or will be enrolling
in a college or university for the fall of 2004. Respondents
who indicate that they are college or university bound will
be asked to complete a follow-up survey in January 2005. Data
from Phase I will be analyzed during the summer and fall of
2004. Also during the fall of 2004 the researcher will follow-up
with each of the students that indicated they were college
or university bound to verify their contact information, the
college or university that they are enrolled in, and their
willingness to continue participating in the study. The fall
of 2004 will also be used to gather information about each
of the colleges and universities that the students are attending.
The researcher will specifically focus on finding out the
following information about each of the institutions:
- The existence or non-existence of an honor code (full vs. modified vs. none)
- Whether or not students are asked to sign an honor pledge on examinations and or major assignments
- The existence of programmatic initiatives focused on honor and integrity
Phase II: In January of 2005, the researcher will contact all of the students who indicated that they wished to continue participating in the study. At that time, each of the students will be asked to complete a post-test designed to evaluate his or her perceptions, attitudes and behaviors related to academic integrity. In addition, the post-test will gather information regarding the student's experiences at and perceptions of his or her undergraduate institution, specifically those which relate to his or her institution's policies and practices regarding academic integrity. During January and February of 2005 the data from Phase II will be analyzed and compared to the data that was collected during Phase I. Specific emphasis will be placed on analyzing the results based on the types of honor codes that are in place at each of the institutions and the types of institutional polices and practices related to academic integrity found at each of the institutions. Those students who score significantly different on their pre-test and post-test will be contacted and invited to participate in a follow-up interview which will take place over the telephone.
Phase III: In March and April of 2005, the researcher will schedule and conduct interviews with students who indicate that they wish to continue participating in the study. During the interview, specific emphasis will be placed on gathering information to determine how and why the student's perceptions, attitudes and or behaviors changed as he or she has made the transition from high school to college.
Expected Contributions: The purpose of this study is to provide a longitudinal examination of the perceptions, attitudes and behaviors of three cohorts of high school students as they transition from high school to college. This type of study had not been done to-date and will serve to strengthen the existing knowledge base related to academic integrity. Second, this study will provide both a quantitative and qualitative examination of students' perceptions, attitudes and behaviors related to academic integrity. Most of the research to-date has been based on self-reported quantitative data. Adding a qualitative component will help to further researchers and administrators understanding of how and why students' perceptions, attitudes and behaviors change over time. Third, this study will be beneficial to faculty and administrators who design and implement institutional policies and practices related to academic integrity including those who work with programmatic academic integrity initiatives on college and university campuses. Specifically, this study will help to determine what does and does not have an impact on first-year college students' decisions to engage in academic dishonesty once they arrive on a college or university campus. This study will not only serve to produce new and useful information, it will also serve to fill in some of the missing links that are currently found in existing literature.
Biosketch:
Ashley Mouberry, a North Carolina native, currently works as a Community Director in the Department of Housing and Residential Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she also received a Bachelors' of Science degree in Biology in 2001. In May of 2003, Ashley graduated with a Master of Arts degree in College Student Personnel from the University of Maryland, College Park. During her time at the University of Maryland, Ashley worked to complete a Master's thesis entitled Academic dishonesty: Student and faculty perception at a large public institution with a modified honor code. Ashley will begin her doctoral work in Higher Education Administration at North Carolina State University in the fall of 2004.