Education Commons^™

Classroom Cheating And Student Perceptions Of Ethical Climate, Charles B. Shrader, Sue Ravenscroft, Jeffrey B. Kaufmann, Timothy D. West

Management Publications

This study examines relationships between perceived ethical climate types, as determined using Victor and Cullen’s (1988) ethical climate questionnaire, and actual cheating behavior by students completing a take-home exam problem. Data regarding students’ behavior were gathered from sixty-four students in two sections of an accounting course at a well-known university. Our major finding is that students who perceive the classroom as a benevolent climate focused on local groups (i.e. team identification is preeminent) engage in more cheating behavior than do students who perceive a benevolent climate focused on broader organization or societal groups. We conclude by discussing the ...