Drivers of academic dishonesty: situational pressures versus student motivation

TO understand what drives academic dishonesty in adolescents, this study employed a 2 × 2 mixed quasi-experimental design. We measured achievement goal orientation (performance vs. mastery) and manipulated situational pressure (high vs. low) to observe dishonest behaviour during a self-scored test. Seventy-eight students aged 13−14 years were assigned to either an experimental group, experiencing the manipulated conditions, or a control group. Key findings revealed that (1) high-pressure situations significantly increased both the likelihood of cheating behaviour and cheating scores compared to low-pressure conditions; (2) students adopting performance goals exhibited significantly greater cheating prevalence and higher cheating scores than those with mastery goals; and (3) critically, the interaction between pressure and achievement goal orientation on dishonesty was non-significant. These findings provide valuable empirical evidence for educators and policymakers aiming to foster academic integrity by mitigating undue pressure and promoting mastery-oriented learning environments.