Academic Misconduct in Nursing Students: Behaviors, Attitudes, Rationalizations, and Cultural Identity

The purpose of this study was to gain knowledge about academic misconduct in associate degree nursing students enrolled in two nursing programs in the northeastern United States. Study respondents (n = 193) identified the frequency of engagement in behaviors of misconduct in both the classroom and clinical setting and their attitudes toward the identified behaviors of misconduct, neutralization behaviors, ethical standards of the nursing profession, and the ethic of caring within the nursing profession. Findings were consistent with previous research on academic misconduct in baccalaureate nursing students. Analysis of self-reported cultural identities refuted the prevailing literature on academic misconduct across differing cultures and nations.