The Impact of Social Influences on the Perceived Likelihood of Academic Dishonesty Among Undergraduate Business Students

Abstract

This study explores the impacts of social influences on the perceived likelihood of undergraduate students participating in academic dishonesty. The influential factors used in this study come from Latané’s (1981) social impact theory, or SIT. The theory uses a mathematical equation to explain that the social impact experienced by an individual is a function of the strength of the information sources, immediacy (proximity of the information sources to the target), and number of information sources. This study investigates these factors as they pertain to the instructor in a classroom setting. Specifically, I examine how instructor attributes impact students’ propensity to cheat. In the study, the instructor’s strength is measured as the reputation of the instructor in the classroom, immediacy is measured as the proximity of the instructor to students, and number is measured as the number of proctors monitoring the instructor’s test setting. The objective of the study is to determine whether knowledge of these factors can assist universities in reducing the incidence of academic irregularities on campus.