Qualitative assessment of the views of academic honesty among freshmen in a physiology-based program

Academic dishonesty is becoming more common among university students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-based programs. This is concerning because these students hold positions of responsibility in their professional careers. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine if a student's academic standing and/or first-generation (First-Gen) status would affect their views of academic integrity and dishonesty within their academic coursework. Freshmen completed reflections at the start and end of their first semester of college. Qualitative responses from their reflections were reviewed and organized into common themes. Students were grouped based on university matriculation criteria [high-school grade-point average (GPA), Standards Admissions Test (SAT), and the American College Test (ACT) scores and parental higher education status]. The primary findings of the study demonstrated that the students responded similarly to their views of academic honesty, but some themes were more prevalent across the groups (First-Gen, Honors, and Pre-Math). This study identified several areas to help STEM students in a physiology-based program gain a better understanding of academic integrity and dishonesty.<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> A qualitative investigation of the views of academic honesty among freshmen in a physiology-based program.