Cheating Among American University Students: A 30-Year Follow-up Study and a Comparative Study with Chinese University Students

Cheating is an increasing problem on college campuses, made even easier by the advancement in technology which has increased access to information. Furthermore, we are seeing a shift in attitudes toward cheating as well as a change in the definition. Faculty are reporting changes in cheating behavior.  This current study reports the results of a 30-year follow-up study on cheating at an American university (Vandehey, Diekhoff, and LaBeff, 2007), as well as comparisons with a comparable sample of Chinese university students. Our findings indicate both cross-cultural differences but also similarities in cheating behavior and attitudes. Chinese students reported a higher incidence rate of cheating on exams, and a greater tendency to neutralize (i.e. justify) cheating. A factor positively correlated with American students cheating is a characteristic related to a cohort effect currently labeled the Millennial Generation or Generation Y students. Our results also point to factors that may be effective in preventing cheating.

Reference
Vandehey MA, Diekhoff GM and LaBeff EE (2007) College cheating: A twenty-year follow-up and the addition of an honor code. Journal of College Student Development 48(4): 468-480.