Construction of a scale to measure moral disengagement associated with plagiarism in young university students

This study developed the psychometric validation of a scale oriented to the measurement of moral disengagement associated with plagiarism (MDP) in 286 Peruvian university students (69.2% female; Mage = 21.2). The internal structure of the measurement was evaluated using Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling. Several models were assessed (seven-factor, bifactor, and unidimensional). Items were gradually eliminated until a brief and unidimensional version of 12 items. Moreover, beside an adequate internal consistency (ω = .966, α = .949), favorable evidence of discriminant validity was obtained by considering a bifactor analysis together with a generic measure of moral disengagement, in which the measurement of MDP showed independence (ωHS = .781) from the general factor (ωH = .739) and from the other specific factor (ωHS = .107). The findings demonstrate that the proposed scale has evidence of validity and reliability for application in research and evaluation in university settings.