Moderators of the Effect of Performance Goals on Academic Dishonesty

学术作弊（例如，剽窃）是高等教育机构中经常被报道的现象。如果学生渴望超越他人并展示自己的能力（强大的表现目标），那么他们就特别有可能从事学术作弊。然而，过去关于成绩目标对作弊的影响的研究得出了相互矛盾的结果，一些研究发现了预期的积极联系，而另一些则没有。在拟议的研究项目中，我们的目标是提供关于决定学生的成绩目标是否会引发学术作弊的条件的知识。为此，我们基于期望值理论（Wigfield & Eccles, 2000）和计划行为理论（Ajzen, 2002）建立了一个综合的可能调节变量的理论模型。假设模型的核心假设是，如果a)学生期望作弊会可靠地导致期望的结果（为此，我们认为自我效能感信念以及绩效评估标准特别相关），b)他们对作弊的态度不是强烈的消极，以及c)社会规范表明接受这种行为，那么表现目标就会引发作弊。将进行四个系列实验（ES）和一个实地研究来检验这些假设。ES包括三个子研究（预测42名学生，验证和复制调节者各244名学生）。在每个子研究中，我们操纵成就目标和一个调节因子（ES1：社会规范；ES2：成就评价；ES3：态度；ES4：自我效能）。之后，我们将测量参与者在一系列性能任务中作弊行为的程度（即他们使用未经授权的材料，提供无法解决的任务的答案，或抄袭的程度）。因此，ES允许对环境变量控制下的作弊行为进行调查。我们将通过最终的实地研究（期望样本量：961名学生）在实验室环境之外测试模型来补充这些实验研究。在这项研究中，学生将被问及他们的成绩目标，假设的调节变量，以及过去在大学的作弊行为。总之，这个研究项目将有助于更好地理解在何种条件下，成绩目标影响学生的学术作弊。这一知识应该能阐明关于这一主题的相互矛盾的发现，并产生新的想法，以一种减少学术作弊的方式来塑造表现情境。

Academic cheating (e.g., plagiarism) is a frequently reported phenomenon at higher education institutions. It makes sense to assume that students are particularly likely to engage in academic cheating if they aspire to outperform others and to demonstrate their competencies (strong performance goals). However, past research examining the effects of performance goals on cheating has led to conflicting results, where some studies found the expected positive associations, while others did not. In the proposed research project, we aim to provide knowledge on the conditions that determine whether students’ performance goals evoke academic cheating. To this end, we developed a comprehensive theoretical model of possible moderator variables based on the expectation-value theory (Wigfield & Eccles, 2000) and the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 2002). The core assumptions of the postulated model are that performance goals elicit cheating if a) students expect that cheating will reliably lead to the aspired outcome (for this, we consider self-efficacy beliefs as well as performance evaluation standards particularly relevant), b) their attitude towards cheating is not strongly negative, and c) social norms suggest the acceptance of such behavior. Four experimental series (ES) and one field study will be carried out to test these assumptions. The ES consists of three sub-studies (pretest with 42 students, verification and replication of the moderators with 244 students each). In each sub-study, we manipulate achievement goals and one moderator (ES1: social norms; ES2: evaluation of achievement; ES3: attitudes; ES4: self-efficacy). Afterwards, we will measure to what extent the participants engaged in cheating behaviors (i.e., the extent to which they used unauthorized materials, provided answers to unsolvable tasks, or copied) in a series of performance tasks. Thus, the ES allow for an investigation into cheating behaviors under the control of environmental variables. We will supplement these experimental studies by testing the model outside of the laboratory setting with a final field study (aspired sample size: 961 students). In this study, students will be asked about their performance goals, the postulated moderator variables, and past cheating behaviors at university. In sum, this research project will contribute to a better understanding of the conditions under which performance goals affect academic cheating among students. This knowledge should shed light on the conflicting findings regarding the subject matter, and generate new ideas for shaping performance situations in a way that reduces academic cheating.