Knowledge, Attitudes, and Cognitive Dissonance Regarding Academic Misconduct Among University Students
Abstract
Academic dishonesty or misconduct is an alarming concern and is crippling academic integrity. Furthermore, mental health is directly and indirectly related to academic performance and well-being. The knowledge-attitude dissonance regarding the identification of academic misconduct is the primary objective of this research. Moreover, the paper focuses on the association between knowledge-attitude dissonance and psychological uneasiness among students. It employed a quantitative research design, in which 402 survey responses were collected from university students in Bangladesh and analyzed statistically. This paper found that knowledge of unethical features and adverse consequences did not differ by gender, institutions, or field of study; however, attitudes toward the advantages of misconduct varied by institutions and field of study. There was dissonance between knowledge and attitude toward academic misconduct among students that caused mental discomfort. The results of this paper will be useful to policymakers and administrators for improving academic ethical practice and maintaining mental health.
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.17509/jpp.v26i2.103550
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