Academic Corruption: Development of an Inventory for Measuring the Perceived Reasons for Academic Cheating among Nigerian Undergraduates

Abstract

The present study focused on the phenomenon of corruption in the academic setting, with special reference to academic cheating. Specifically, the study attempted to identify the perceived reasons why students engage in academic cheating. An inventory designed to assess the perceived reasons for academic cheating was developed and factorially validated. An initial pool of 32 items which formed the preliminary version of the scale was administered on a sample of university students. The data generated were subjected to factor analysis and four valid factors emerged. On the whole, a total of 25 pure and valid items were found to be significantly loading on the four factors. It was concluded that academic corruption plagues the academic setting and that several reasons or factors account for academic cheating among university students.