Policy, pedagogy, and perceived inevitability: Turkish EFL teachers' perspectives on deterring cheating in online assessments

Student assessment in an online teaching environment poses a significant challenge due to violations of academic integrity, such as academic dishonesty in online assessments. This qualitative study, based on Deci and Ryan’s Self-Determination Theory (SDT), Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development, and Ostrom’s Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) Framework, investigated Turkish higher education university teachers' views on cheating-deterring strategies as well as the function of administrative policies as facilitators or barriers to online assessment. Data from 16 English teachers were thematically analyzed using MAXQDA 2022, employing semi-structured interviews and narrative frameworks. Administrative policies were formulated as institutional instructions, digital infrastructure, and aspects of teacher autonomy. The obtained themes have been classified into three main meta-themes: Perceived Inevitability of Cheating, Agency Through Design for Deterrence, and Policy Ambiguity and its Impact on online assessment . The study emphasizes effective instructional design tactics, policy suggestions, and professional development methods to promote academic integrity in online educational settings.