Academic Dishonesty, Personality Traits and Academic Adjustment

Abstract

Many recent studies has been indicating that academic dishonesty is more frequent in higher education, in the form of plagiarism, cheating on exams, and copying assignments from other students. The present research aims to explore the relationship between personality traits, academic dishonesty, and academic adjustment. The results showed that conscientiousness, honesty, and openness were significantly negatively related to reports of academic dishonesty. Academic neuroticism was the most powerful predictor of cheating behaviors, while an overall high level of maladjustment predicted positive attitudes toward academic cheating. The significant associations between academic adjustment and academic dishonesty confirmed previous research in the field. Key words: academic dishonesty, personality traits, academic adjustment, use of Internet.