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Table 9 Students’ self-reported involvement in specific academically dishonest practices

From: Academic dishonesty in higher education: students’ perceptions and involvement in an African institution

 

Mean occurence (SD)a

Mean serious-ness of positive responses (SD)b

Significance of correlations between the mean occurrence of specific academically dishonest practices (Unpaired, two-tailed Mann–Whitney U-test)

Practicec

  

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

1. Copying colleagues with permission

1.98 (0.90)

1.19 (0.40)

 

<0.0001****

<0.0001****

0.0207*

<0.0001****

<0.0001****

<0.0001****

<0.0001****

<0.0001****

0.0197*

<0.0001****

<0.0001****

2. Copying colleagues without permission

1.19 (0.58)

2.00 (0.00)

  

0.0046**

<0.0001****

0.0205*

0.2165

0.0004 ***

0.9976

<0.0001****

<0.0001****

0.7548

0.3632

3. Failing to participate in group assignments

1.46 (0.86)

1.38 (0.50)

   

<0.0001****

0.5818

0.1171

0.4930

0.0060**

0.0888

0.0034**

0.0027**

0.0559

4. Allowed colleagues to copy you

2.24 (0.89)

1.32 (0.47)

    

<0.0001****

<0.0001****

<0.0001****

<0.0001****

<0.0001****

<0.0001****

<0.0001****

<0.0001****

5. Helped others to cheat

1.41 (0.86)

1.43 (0.50)

     

0.2865

0.2038

0.0228*

0.0165*

0.0003***

0.0107*

0.1611

6. Used electronic device to access the Internet during assessment

1.33 (0.79)

1.43 (0.54)

      

0.0231*

0.2269

0.0007***

<0.000****

0.1339

0.7470

7. Whispered or signalled answers to others during exams

1.66 (1.99)

1.59 (0.50)

       

0.0006***

0.3143

0.0223*

0.0002***

0.0087**

8. Sent foreign materials to the exam hall

1.24 (0.69)

1.63 (0.52)

        

<0.0001****

<0.0001****

0.7586

0.3699

9. Disobeyed examination timing instructions (e.g. continuing to write after the alloted time was over)

1.57 (0.81)

1.35 (0.49)

         

0.1558

<0.0001****

0.0002***

10. Had prior knowledge of examination questions

1.73 (0.90)

1.19 (0.40)

          

<0.0001****

<0.0001****

11. Asked a lecturer for favour when marking scripts

1.23 (0.69)

1.50 (0.55)

           

0.2307

12. In any other way cheated

1.29 (0.75)

2.00 (0.00)

            
  1. aMean values out of four possible answer choices, where 1 never, 2 once, 3 more than once, 4 not applicable. SD standard deviation
  2. bAverage seriousness ratings of positive responses (responses of having previously engaged in a specific practice once or more than once). Seriousness rating was taken on a two-point Likert scale, where 1 not serious, and 2 serious
  3. cThe numbering of practices (both horizontal and vertical) are identical. (Unpaired two-tailed Mann–Whitney U-test, **** p < 0.0001, *** p < 0.001 and ** p < 0.01, * p < 0.05)
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BMC Research Notes

ISSN: 1756-0500

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