Can Demography Predict Academic Dishonest Behaviors of Students? A Case of Pakistan

Academic dishonesty has been a matter of great concern in higher education for last few decades. The dishonest behavior of students at graduate and undergraduate level has become a severe issue for education and business sector, especially when the students exercise same dishonest practices at their jobs. The number of private and public sector universities is increasing; therefore, the effects of academic dishonest behavior on potential professionals need to be carefully investigated and appropriate policies must be formulated by academicians in order to resolve this issue. The present research addresses this matter by investigating into the relationship of student’s demographics such as age, gender, academic program, business/non-business major and CGPA with academic dishonesty. The results have reported that male students of less age studying at the undergraduate level have their own code of conduct and they are less concerned about the academic ethics. Moreover, business students showed a serious behavior regarding academic integrity, whereas, more intellectual students are also very much conscious towards academic integrity. The study found students’ demographics to have a significant impact on their attitudes towards academic dishonesty. The results provide a strong implication for academicians to develop the moralities and ethics in students so that institutions may provide ethically cultivated professionals to the business community.