Assessing the Academic integrity among University Students in Pakistan
Abstract
The principal objective of this research was to assess the academic integrity among Pakistani university students. Qualitative data were obtained from 3 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with students from different universities. Mixed Methods Research was applied at the individual and group level and data were analyzed with the help of content analysis. The analysis unveiled four key themes including teacher's behavior in the classroom, teacher’s evaluation method in Examinations, the influence of peer pressure, and the popularity of the memorization method among students. Students' level of satisfaction with teachers’ behavior in the classroom and at the time of assessment of examination remained low and they considered it as the main reason behind their low level of academic integrity. Rote learning, inconsistencies in the examination evaluation method, and the effect of peer pressure were also identified as the central reasons behind their academic misconduct behavior. It is concluded that in the coming few years, academic misconduct is going to become a popular culture in Pakistani universities and it is a dire need to stop this behavior. Suggestions to overcome this problem are to trained students as well as teachers. The teacher's professional and moral training can directly effect on the training and moral values of students. This study was conducted in Pakistan, but the findings can be observed and replicated in higher education systems in many developing nations.
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