Predicting academic misconduct intentions and behavior using the theory of planned behavior and personality

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Basic and Applied Social Psychology on February 23, 2010, available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01973530903539895?journalCode=hbas20The efficacy of Azjen’s (1985; 1991) Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) for the prediction of cheating intentions and behaviors was examined in a sample of 241 business undergraduates. Mediated structural equation models of the TPB, with personality constructs, adjustment and prudence, as antecedents were examined. The TPB model explained 21% of the variance in cheating intentions and 36% of cheating behavior. Results support both the TPB model and a partially mediated model in which prudence, but not adjustment, is significantly related to model components, attitudes, norms, control and behavior but not intention to cheat. These results suggest the TPB model may parsimoniously integrate and advance academic misconduct research. Further TPB research and practical implications are discussed.Ye

Using the Theory of Planned Behavior and cheating justifications to predict academic misconduct

This author accepted manuscript is deposited under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC) license. This means that anyone may distribute, adapt, and build upon the work for non-commercial purposes, subject to full attribution. If you wish to use this manuscript for commercial purposes, please contact [email protected]: The purpose of this paper is to show that academic misconduct appears to be on the rise; some research has linked academic misconduct to unethical workplace behaviors. Unlike previous empirically‐driven research, this theory‐based study seeks to examine the usefulness of a modification of Ajzen's theory of planned behavior to predict academic misconduct. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 271 students enrolled at a US university were surveyed. Structural equation modeling was used to test the model. Findings: The modified theory of a planned behavior model in which intentions and justifications both serve as antecedents to behavior fits the data well. The model accounted for 22 per cent of the variance in intentions to cheat and 47 per cent of the variance in self‐reported cheating. Research limitations/implications: The primary limitations of this research are the cross‐sectional research design, the self‐selected sample, and the single source of survey data. Practical implications: The study extends the TPB model in the prediction of misconduct behavior. Attitudes, subjective norms, behavioral control, intentions and justifications were related to cheating behaviors. Academic misconduct may be reduced by shaping attitudes toward cheating, changing perceptions of subjective norms regarding the prevalence of cheating, and lowering students' perceptions of their control of cheating by, for example, emphasis on the consequences of getting caught. Understanding and reducing academic misconduct are important for promoting ethical behavior and values in future worker and organization leaders. Originality/value: Identification of factors that influence academic misconduct is an important aspect of professional development research, given its link to workplace misconduct. To date, academic misconduct research has been primarily empirically‐ rather than theory‐driven. The current study identifies factors that contribute to academic misconduct by extending an established theoretical model of behavior.Ye

Academic integrity: The relationship between individual and situational factors on misconduct contemplations

The version of record of this article, first published in Journal of Business Ethics, is available online at Publisher’s website: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10551-006-9260-9Recent, well-publicized scandals, involving unethical conduct have rekindled interest in academic misconduct. Prior studies of academic misconduct have focused exclusively on situational factors (e.g., integrity culture, honor codes), demographic variables or personality constructs. We contend that it is important to also examine how these classes of variables interact to influence perceptions of and intentions relating to academic misconduct. In a sample of business students, we examined how integrity culture interacts with Prudence and Adjustment to explain variance in estimated frequency of cheating, suspicions of cheating, considering cheating and reporting cheating. Age, integrity culture, and personality variables were significantly related to different criteria. Overall, personality variables explained the most unique variance in academic misconduct, and Adjustment interacted with integrity culture, such that integrity culture had more influence on intentions to cheat for less well adjusted individuals. Implications for practice are discussed and future research directions are offered.Ye

Role conflict and burnout: The direct and moderating effects of political skill and perceived organizational support on burnout dimensions

©American Psychological Association, 2007. This paper is not the copy of record and may not exactly replicate the authoritative document published in the APA journal. The final article is available, upon publication, at: https://doi.org/10.1037/1072-5245.14.2.142Drawing from previous research on the effect of role conflict on burnout and the Conservation of Resources theory, we propose that individual differences in political skill and perceptions of organizational support will be negatively related to burnout and will also moderate the relationship between perceived role conflict and burnout. In a sample of 120 professional employees, political skill was associated with less depersonalization and feelings of reduced personal accomplishment and moderated the role conflict-reduced personal accomplishment relationship. Perceived organizational support was associated with less emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and moderated the role conflict-emotional exhaustion relationship. Implications of results are discussed and directions for future research are offered.Ye

Do Birds of a Feather Cheat Together? How Personality and Relationships Affect Student Cheating

This version of the article has been accepted for publication, after peer review and is subject to Springer Nature’s AM terms of use but is not the Version of Record and does not reflect post-acceptance improvements or any corrections. The Version of Record is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10805-016-9267-5.Academic misconduct is widespread in schools, colleges, and universities and it appears to be an international phenomenon that also spills over into the workplace (Nonis and Swift 2001; Sims 1993; Stone et al. 2011). To this end, while a great deal of research has investigated various individual components such as, demographic, personality and situational factors that contribute to cheating, research has yet to examine why students help others cheat and which students are being asked to help others cheat. In this study, we investigated if the closeness of the relationship to the individual requesting help in cheating to the individual being asked to help cheat, influenced the decision to help cheat. We also investigated if past cheating behavior predicted how an individual would respond to requests to cheat. Additionally, we sought to answer the following questions; whether minor cheating is more prevalent than serious cheating, what personality factors predict helping others cheat, who is helped, and how people rationalize helping others cheat. Results indicate minor cheating to be more prevalent, prudent personalities are less likely to have cheated or to help others cheat, individuals are more likely to help friends cheat than to help strangers, and past cheating behaviors is indicative of helping others to cheat. Implications for research and practice are discussed.Ye

Differential Effect of Inter-Role Conflict on Proactive Individual's Experience of Burnout

The version of record of this article, first published in the Journal of Business and Psychology, is available online at Publisher’s website: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10869-011-9234-5Purpose: This study examined how proactive personality interacts with inter-role conflict, measured as work–family conflict and family–work conflict, to predict burnout, measured as emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment. Design/Methodology/Approach: Participants were 171 clerical employees. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to test whether proactive personality moderated the relationship between inter-role conflict and forms of burnout. Findings: Family–work conflict was not associated with burnout, but work–family conflict explained 30% of unique variance in emotional exhaustion and 9% in depersonalization. Proactive personality explained 12% of variance in personal accomplishment. Three-way interactions indicated that at high levels of work—family conflict and family—work conflict, proactive individuals reported lower levels of emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment and higher levels of depersonalization than less proactive individuals. Implications: While previous research has generally documented the virtues of proactive personality, our research indicates that when simultaneously faced with work–family and family–work conflict, individuals with proactive personality experience more depersonalization and less personal accomplishment relative to less proactive individuals. Overall, results of three-way interactions imply that while a certain level of proactive personality may be necessary to buffer feelings of emotional exhaustion, beyond a certain level, proactive personality may lead one to experience higher levels of depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment. Originality/Value: This study extends previous research by examining the influence of two types of inter-role conflict on all three dimensions of burnout. It also responds to calls for additional research on potential moderators, buffers, or even antidotes to stress by examining how proactive personality interacts with stressors.Ye

Keeping the peace: An investigation of the interaction between personality, conflict and competence on organizational citizenship behaviors

This author accepted manuscript is deposited under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC) license. This means that anyone may distribute, adapt, and build upon the work for non-commercial purposes, subject to full attribution. If you wish to use this manuscript for commercial purposes, please contact [email protected]: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the interaction between self-reported proactive personality, competence, and interpersonal conflict in the prediction of supervisor ratings of organizational citizenship behaviors directed at individuals (OCBI) and organizations (OCBO). Design/methodology/approach: Data were obtained from 165 full-time subordinate-supervisor dyads. Employees self-reported personality and control variable information in wave 1 and competence and interpersonal conflict information in wave 2. Data regarding employee OCB performance were collected from supervisors in wave 3. Findings: Results suggest that OCBs are performed less frequently in stressful circumstances but that proactive personality appears to assuage the effects of stress. Significant two- and three-way interactions suggest the interplay of personal and situational characteristics are more complex in predicting OCBO than OCBI, likely due to its more distal nature. Practical implications: Results of the current study suggest steps managers may want to take to increase employee performance of OCBs, specifically, selecting proactive individuals, creating training programs to bolster employees’ competence, and minimizing interpersonal conflict at work. Originality/value: The current study confirms and extends extant research. The current study goes beyond previous work to consider a more complex interaction of factors that are related to employee engagement in OCBs.Ye

Moderators of the personality-performance relationship

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether job meaning and job autonomy moderate the relationship between emotional stability and organizational citizenship behavior. Design/methodology/approach: In total, 190 supervisor-subordinate dyads completed three surveys. Linear and curvilinear analyses were used to assess the data. Findings: Results indicate emotionally stable individuals are more likely to perform OCBOs in low autonomy and/or low job meaning situations than are employees low in emotional stability. Conversely, individuals who have high autonomy and/or high meaning jobs are likely to engage in OCBOs regardless of personality. Research limitations/implications: As a survey-based research study, causal conclusions cannot be drawn from this study. Results suggest future research on the personality-performance relationship needs to more closely consider context and the potential for curvilinear relationships. Practical implications: Managers should note that personality may significantly affect job performance and consider placing individuals in jobs that best align with their personality strengths. Originality/value: This study sheds light on factors which may have led to erroneous conclusions in the extant literature that the relationship between personality and performance is weak.Ye