Masks Off: Exploring Undergraduates’ Motivations to Cheat During COVID-19

Academic dishonesty became more pronounced during the COVID-19 pandemic. We explored university students’ motivations to commit academically dishonest acts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our objectives were to 1) assess students’ perceptions of cheating opportunities, 2) evaluate their moral stance on cheating, 3) measure instances of cheating, and 4) determine if differences existed in students’ motivations to cheat. We conducted a cross-sectional survey with undergraduates at Texas A&M University. We found students perceived greater opportunities to cheat in online than in-person courses; however, most participants viewed themselves as having strong moral stances toward cheating and did not take opportunities to cheat. No differences were found in opportunities to cheat, moral stance on cheating, or opportunities taken to cheat when compared by gender, class, or estimated grade point average. Differences existed in moral stance on cheating when analyzed by religiosity; those with average religious beliefs had lower scores for moral stance on cheating than did those with less than or more than average religious beliefs. This confounding result merits further investigation. Our findings contribute to better understanding of students’ motivations to cheat. Further research is needed to understand the complex factors that influence students’ motivations to commit academically dishonest acts.