Scholars@Duke publication: What Constitutes Academic Dishonesty in Physical Therapy Education: Do Faculty and Learners Agree?

What Constitutes Academic Dishonesty in Physical Therapy Education: Do Faculty and Learners Agree?

Publication , Journal Article

Salamh, P; Cook, C; Figuers, C; Covington, K

Published in: J Allied Health

2018

BACKGROUND: Academic dishonesty (AD) has been widely reported as an increasing concern in higher education. The primary purpose of the current study was to investigate the perceptions of what faculty and learners consider acts of AD and the level of seriousness within physical therapist (PT) education. Secondary aims included examining the incidence of AD reported by both groups. METHODS: A survey of 16 scenarios that constitute AD, with 4 questions for each scenario. Subjects included learners and faculty members of accredited PT programs in the southeastern United States. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were found between groups for 5 of the 16 scenarios regarding what constituted an act of AD. For perception of the seriousness of an act of AD, faculty differed significantly from learners. Faculty also differed from learners in responding that someone in their classes had committed the act of AD when compared to learner's response. DISCUSSION: The results of our survey support that there is disagreement between what faculty and learners perceive to constitute AD. CONCLUSION: The stark contrast in views between faculty and learners regarding AD suggests the need for more clear and consistent academic policy awareness for both groups.