Analysis of the Predictive Power of Moral and Social Identities on Examination Cheating Behaviors among Students

Abstract

This study investigates moral and social identities as predictors of examination cheating behavior among students. The study analyzed data from 172 participants, available on the Havard Dataverse repository. The data were collected using the moral identity scale (MIS), social identity scale (SIS), and examination cheating behavior scale (ECBS), with reliability indices of .78, .81, and .86, respectively. Analyses were performed using regression statistics in R software. The results showed that moral and social identities are significant predictors of examination cheating behavior. This study concludes that low levels of moral and social identities significantly lead to higher examination cheating behavior among students, whereas, higher levels of moral and social identities are associated with lower examination cheating behaviors. These findings emphasize the role of character education and social frameworks in mitigating academic dishonesty, providing insights for policymakers, social workers, and moral educators aiming to foster ethical behavior in academic environments.