Dishonest Behavior in the Classroom and Clinical Setting: Perceptions and Engagement

Background: Nursing students sometimes engage in academically dishonest behaviors despite honor codes and policies. We believe that learning more about nursing students' perceptions of and engagement in academically dishonest behaviors will aid faculty in crafting more effective codes, policies, and educational modules. Method: Baccalaureate nursing students from accredited programs across the nation were invited to participate in an online cross-sectional descriptive correlational survey. Data were analyzed using descriptive and correlational statistics. Results: Nursing students do not perceive all academically dishonest behavior as dishonest. There is a positive relationship between perceptions of behaviors in the classroom and clinical setting. Students have higher rates of engagement in behaviors they do not perceive as dishonest. Those who engage in the behaviors considered dishonest have higher rates of rationalization. Conclusion: Faculty need to delineate to students what behaviors are deemed dishonest in a course. Eliminating ambiguity has potential to reduce engagement in dishonest behavior.