Students' Reactions to a Peer's Cheating Behavior

While academic dishonesty has been an area of study for numerous decades, research has focused primarily on the perpetrators of cheating and understanding why students cheat. In contrast, little attention has been devoted to examining the reactions of students who witness cheating. Ihe current study investigated undergraduate students' reactions to a peer's cheating behavior during an exam. While the vast majority of students did not respond by directly confronting the peer or voluntarily coming forth with information about the cheating to the examiner, most reported the act when asked relatively direct questions about what happened. The findings also revealed that the grading criteria of the exam had a significant impact on students' reactions; yet, additional analyses revealed that these effects applied to female students only. Important implications for school professionals are discussed.