Personality Development Variables and Academic Cheating Behaviour among Undergraduate Students of the Faculty of Education, University of Uyo, Uyo

Abstract

This study was a survey of some selected personality development variables on the academic cheating behaviour of undergraduate students in the Faculty of Education, University of Uyo, Uyo. This study was informed by the observation that various attempts to prevent academic cheating have made limited gains. Three independent personality development variables were identified for the study namely gender roles, peer-group pressure and parental pressure. Three research questions and three null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The ex-post facto survey design was adopted for the study. Instrument for data collection was the Personality Development Variables and Academic Cheating Behaviour Questionnaire (PTVACBQ) developed by the researcher. The questionnaire was validated by three experts from the Faculty of Education, University of Uyo. The Cronbach’s Alpha reliability estimate of the instrument was 0.84. Data was collected from a randomised sample of 300 undergraduate students selected through the simple random sampling method from a population of over 6000 regular undergraduate students in the Faculty of Education. Data analysis was done with the use of descriptive statistical tools such as mean, percentages, and standard deviation to provide answers to the research questions. To test the null hypotheses, independent t-test and analysis of variance was used. All hypotheses were tested at .05 levels of significance. The result of data analyses show that gender roles, peer-group pressure, and parental pressure significantly influenced academic cheating among the students. Based on these findings, it was recommended that psychoacademic interventions should be put in place within and outside the faculty to assist students overcome dishonest tendencies in their academic work.

Keywords: Academic cheating; Personality development; Counselling; Adolescence; Education

DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/10-17-06

Publication date:October 31^st 2020