Academic Dishonesty from the Perspective of Primary School Teachers

Abstract Introduction: Academic dishonesty is addressed by various experts in pedagogy and psychology who seek to preserve academic integrity in accordance with the moral and ethical principles of contemporary society. Methods: The intention of the research was to find out how teachers evaluate different types of cheating by students during class, how they react to different types of academic dishonesty, and how they themselves were dishonest during their time in college. Teachers (N=272, mean age 40.85 years) responded on a 5-point Likert scale the attitudes towards morality, but also whether students cheated or self-reported their academic dishonesty when they were students. Results: Factor analysis indicated the existence of 4 factors of teachers’ moral beliefs (Trust in implicit morality, Teacher-given morality, Need for explicit rules, and Internalization of moral principles), which were correlated with students’ assessment of academic dishonesty (Use of external resources, Cooperation) and with teachers’ self-reported academic dishonesty (Utilitarianism, Unauthorized advantage, and Helping others). Discussion: The research findings suggest that teachers should focus more on understanding their pupils’ behaviour rather than condemning or punishing academic dishonesty and seek to develop their moral competence. Limitations: The research sample size is not representative, also the research method is not standardized. Conclusions: The role of teachers is to apply teaching strategies that will promote honest and responsible student behaviour.