Knowledge and perception of misconduct among university students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35622/Keywords:
knowledge, improper practices, university students, perceptionAbstract
The study was conducted in a context marked by growing concern regarding the presence of academic misconduct in higher education, which affects both the quality of learning and the ethical training of students. Objective: To identify the level of knowledge and perception that university students have regarding academic misconduct. Methodology: A quantitative approach with a non-experimental, cross-sectional design and a descriptive-correlational scope. The sample consisted of 351 students from three universities in southern Peru, selected through non-probability convenience sampling. A questionnaire evaluating three dimensions was used: knowledge of dishonest practices, misconduct committed, and perception of the severity of such behaviors. Data analysis included the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Spearman's correlation, and Pearson's chi-square. Results: 70% of participants showed a high level of knowledge about misconduct; however, approximately 90% reported engaging in such practices with low frequency during the academic semester. Furthermore, 67.1% showed a high perception of severity toward these behaviors. A low-intensity positive correlation was identified between knowledge and perception (rho = 0.208; p = 0.0001), and a moderate-low positive correlation between motivational factors and the commission of misconduct. Conclusion: Despite an adequate level of knowledge and perception of severity, a discrepancy persists between knowledge and ethical action, influenced by academic and contextual factors, highlighting the need to strengthen institutional academic integrity policies.
References
Alvarez-Huari, M. Y. (2025). Factores asociados al plagio académico desde la percepción de estudiantes universitarios. Cuadernos de Investigación Educativa, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.18861/cied.2025.16.1.3845
Balderas Gutiérrez, I. (2025). El plagio académico desde la perspectiva de estudiantes universitarios. Praxis Educativa, 29(2), 1-21. Research Policy, 48(2) https://doi.org/10.19137/praxiseducativa-2025-290219
Baran, L., & Jonason, P. K. (2020). Academic dishonesty among university students: The roles of the psychopathy, motivation, and self-efficacy. PloS one, 15(8), e0238141. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0238141
Biagioli, M., Kenney, M., Martin, B. & Walsh, J. P. (2018). Academic misconduct, misrepresentation and gaming: A reassessment. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3282001
Bretag, T., Mahmud, S., Wallace, M., Walker, R., James, C., Green, M., East, J., McGowan, U., & Patridge, L. (2011). Core elements of exemplary academic integrity policy in Australian higher education. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 7(2). https://doi.org/10.21913/IJEI.v7i2.759
Bretag, T., Harper, R., Burton, M., Ellis, C., Newton, P., Van Haeringen, K., Saddiqui, S., & Rozenberg, P. (2019). Contract cheating and assessment design: Exploring the relationship. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 44(5), 676-691. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.1527892
Curtis, G. & Vardanega, L. (2016). Is plagiarism changing over time? A 10-year time-lag study with three points of measurement. Higher Education Research & Development, 35(6), 1167-1179. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2016.1161602
Dávila Morán, R. (2022). The perception of academic plagiarism in Industrial Engineering students at a public university in Lima. Publications,10(4), 41. https://doi:10.3390/publications10040041
Díaz Alaffita, R., Méndez Salinas, M. A., Zapata Velázquez, D. P., & Gurrola Díaz, A. (2022). Deshonestidad académica desde la percepción de estudiantes de posgrado. Ciencia Latina Revista Científica Multidisciplinar, 6(4), 1963–1980. https://doi.org/10.37811/cl_rcm.v6i4.2721
Ehrich, J., Howard, S., Mu, C., Bokosmaty, S. (2016). A comparison of Chinese and Australian university students’ attitudes towards plagiarism. Studies in Higher Education, 41(2), 231–246. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2014.927850
Fajt, B. & Schiller, E. (2025). Hungarian university students’ perceptions of plagiarism. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 21(5). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-024-00169-0
Fishman, T. (Ed.) (2014). The Fundamental Values of Academic Integrity (2nd ed.). International Center for Academic Integrity.
Gallent-Torres, C., Zapata-Gonzales, A., Ortego-Hernando, J. (2023). El impacto de la inteligencia artificial generativa en educación superior: una mirada desde la ética y la integridad académica. RELIEVE - Revista Electrónica de Investigación y Evaluación Educativa, 29(2). https://doi.org/10.30827/relieve.v29i2.29134
Hughes, J. M. C., & McCabe, D. L. (2006). Academic misconduct within higher education in Canada. Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 36(2), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.47678/cjhe.v36i2.183537
McCabe DL, Butterfield KD, Treviño LK. (2012). Cheating in college: why students do it and what educators can do about it. The Johns Hopkins Univ Press.
Ordóñez Camacho XG, Romero Martínez SJ. (2024). Percepción hacia la deshonestidad académica: propiedades psicométricas de un instrumento de medida para estudiantes universitarios. Etic@net. Revista científica electrónica de Educación y Comunicación en la Sociedad del Conocimiento, 21(1), 115-140. https://doi.org/10.30827/eticanet.v21i1.16162
Orosco-Fabián, J. R., Pomasunco-Huaytalla, R., Gómez-Galindo, W., & Rosales-Puchoc, A. M. (2025). Prácticas y causas del ciberplagio en estudiantes universitarios peruanos. Innovaciones Educativas, 27(42), 254-276. https://doi.org/10.22458/ie.v27i42.5326.
Pérez-Guerrero, E. E., Guillén-Medina, M. R., Márquez-Sandoval, F., Vera-Cruz, J. M., Gallegos-Arreola, M. P., Rico-Méndez, M. A., Aguilar-Velázquez, J. A., & Gutiérrez-Hurtado, I. A. (2024). Methodological and statistical considerations for cross-sectional, case–control, and cohort studies. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 13(14), 4005. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm13144005
Rodríguez-Garcés, C., Romero-Garrido, D., & Espinosa-Valenzuela, D. (2024). Fraude académico o pactos de aprendizaje colaborativo: Una aproximación analítica a la transversal estrategia que irrumpe en la evaluación online. Universitas Psychologica, 23, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.11144/Javeriana.upsy23.fapa
Song, N. (2024). Higher education crisis: Academic misconduct with generative AI. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 32(1), e12532. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-5973.12532
Soria-Barreto, K., Yáñez-Galleguillos, L. M., & Leiva-Rivera, S. P. (2023). La deshonestidad académica: Estudio de caso de estudiantes de ciencias empresariales. Revista de Estudios y Experiencias en Educación, 22(48), 152-169. https://doi.org/10.21703/0718-5162.v22.n48.2023.009
Teixeira AA, Rocha MF. (2010). Cheating by economics and business undergraduate students: an exploratory international assessment. Higher Education, 59(6), 663–701. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-009-9274-1
Vásquez-Rocca, L., Cuba Raime, C., Vásquez Velasco, C., Vásquez-Rocca, L., Cuba Raime, C., & Vásquez Velasco, C. (2022). Conocimiento, prevalencia y valoración de prácticas deshonestas en estudiantes universitarios de Artes y Humanidades y de Ciencias de la Salud. Revista Innovaciones Educativas, 24(SPE1), 53-70. https://doi.org/10.22458/ie.v24iespecial.4314
Villacreses Cantos, J. (2021). Percepción del plagio académico en estudiantes y docentes universitarios. Revista Científica RES NON VERBA, 11(1), 151–169. https://doi.org/10.21855/resnonverba.v11i1.442
Zhao, L., Mao, H., Compton, B. J., Peng, J., Fu, G., Fang, F., Heyman, G. D., & Lee, K. (2022). Academic dishonesty and its relations to peer cheating and culture: A meta-analysis of the perceived peer cheating effect. Educational Research Review, 36, 100455.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2022.100455
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Sandra Yucra-Sevillano, Mercedes Nuñez-Zevallos, Gladys Nuñez-Zevallos (Autor/a)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
