doiSerbia

Academic integrity "captured" by a personality-based test

Okanović Predrag (Center for research and education TIM, Belgrade)
Okanović Dragana (Center for research and education TIM, Belgrade)
Mitrović Dušanka (Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Psychology, Novi Sad)
Majstorović Nebojša (Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Psychology, Novi Sad)

The main goal of this study was to develop and validate a personality-based academic integrity test which could serve as a predictor of students’ academic dishonesty. A new Academic Integrity Test (AIT), based on methodological principles accepted in the field of work integrity, was created during this study. The test was developed on one student sample (N=350), and then validated on another (N=471). Validation of the AIT confirmed its relations with three dimensions previously found to be consistent correlates of work integrity measures - Conscientiousness, Aggressiveness and Neuroticism, with the addition of Negative Valence. The correlation between the AIT and a cognitive ability measure was not significant, which is in accordance with previous research. The test retained significant relations with the aforementioned personality measures in simulated applicant condition (except with Neuroticism), leading to the conclusion that the AIT maintains construct validity in situations susceptible to self-presentation.

Keywords: academic integrity, integrity, personality traits, forced-choice test, faking