The Effect of Academic Integrity Policy on Students’ Perception of Academic Dishonesty: A Case of One Kazakhstani University

Abstract

Neither Kazakhstan nor Kazakhstani education is perceived as corruption-free. To get rid of such a negative situation which has a detrimental effect on society, the state adopts various reforms including the sphere of education. One of the measures that are called to address the issue is the establishment of the academic integrity culture with zero-tolerance of any dishonesty practices. The tool, which is in charge of disseminating integrity values, is considered to be academic integrity policies which are introduced into the academic process by many Kazakhstani educational institutions. The primary role of the policies is to reduce the number of violation cases that can be done by enhancing students’ negative perception of academic dishonesty. In Kazakhstan, there is little research dedicated to the influence of academic integrity policies on students’ perception of academic dishonesty. Therefore, the purpose of the current study is to analyze students’ perceptions of academic dishonesty based on one Kazakhstani university that applies the policy in its academic process. The quantitative study was carried out employing a cross-sectional survey among undergraduate students. The study revealed that students are aware of various forms of academic dishonesty, but have split perceptions of the effectiveness of the policy. It was also revealed that they do not treat dishonesty practices equally in relation to their severity, which may affect their involvement in various forms of academic dishonesty. The findings of the study could be implied for Kazakhstani universities with the view to improve the integrity practices at their site and other researchers for further studies.