Academic Dishonesty among Tertiary Institution Students: An Exploration of the Societal Influences Using SEM Analysis

Abstract

This study examined the influence of societal factors on academic dishonest conducts of the Nigerian tertiary education students. A total of two hundred and thirty-one Nigerian students drawn from three of the public universities in Malaysia (IIUM, UPM, & USM) were included in the study. An instrument tagged: “Academic Dishonesty Survey (ADS)” was used for data collection. Both the Principal Component Analysis method (PCA), reliability tests via (cronbach’s alpha), and average variance extracted (AVE) were employed to generate adequate supports for convergent and discriminant validity of the constructs of the instrument. The result of the full-fledged structural equation modeling (SEM) indicated that societal factor had indirect effect on academic conducts of students through cognitive processes. Implications of the study were discussed and suggestions were advanced. This study examined the influence of societal factors on academic dishonest conducts of the Nigerian tertiary education students. A total of two hundred and thirty-one Nigerian students drawn from three of the public universities in Malaysia (IIUM, UPM, & USM) were included in the study. An instrument tagged: “Academic Dishonesty Survey (ADS)” was used for data collection. Both the Principal Component Analysis method (PCA), reliability tests via (cronbach’s alpha), and average variance extracted (AVE) were employed to generate adequate supports for convergent and discriminant validity of the constructs of the instrument. The result of the full-fledged structural equation modeling (SEM) indicated that societal factor had indirect effect on academic conducts of students through cognitive processes. Implications of the study were discussed and suggestions were advanced.