INCOMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Many students are not clear on the parameters and definitions of academic integrity or why it is important. Students bring a wide range of cultural, experiential, and individual academic backgrounds to the college classroom, and they may have been given incorrect, insufficient, or conflicting information about academic integrity from other faculty, peers, and K-12 teachers. Learning disabilities or when English is a student’s second or third language may create more barriers to students’ understanding. In addition, unclear or incomplete instructions from the instructor can contribute to student misunderstanding.
FEAR
Fear creates cognitive and physiological obstacles to learning and good decision making. Fear often plays a role in the types of student behaviors, such as procrastination and disorganization, that can increase the possibility of academic dishonesty. Fear of not meeting family or peer expectations, fear of failure, and fear of the financial, personal, emotional toll of a bad grade can overwhelm all other factors in students’ process of completing assignments, including ethical or moral considerations.
DISCONNECTION
When students feel disconnected from the point and purpose of an assignment and perceive it as busywork or just a meaningless hoop they must jump, it will be more difficult for them to adhere to academic integrity practices. If students feel disconnected from the course, subject, instructor, or the institution, and do not feel supported and encouraged in their academic endeavors, maintaining academic integrity may not seem worth the time and effort it takes.
COGNITIVE LOAD AND WORK-LIFE STRESSORS
All students balance multiple, important commitments, including class requirements, family obligations, and work demands. Health issues, including mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression, can also add a significant amount of pressure to a student’s daily life. When juggling numerous and sometimes overwhelming responsibilities and numerous tasks, it is natural for human beings—not just students!—to want to maximize results while expending a minimum of time and effort. Shortcuts of any kind appear desirable whenever we feel cognitively overloaded, and our energies and personal resources are drained.