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Numerous studies and anecdotal reports have documented high rates of cheating among college students, especially student athletes (Aaron & Georgia, 1994; LaBeff, Clark, Haines, & Diekhoff, 1990; Mitchell & Wisbey, 1995; Pavela & McCabe, 1993). Cheating has traditionally been defined as the act of giving or receiving unauthorized assistance in an academic task or receiving credit for plagiarized work (Kibler, Nuss, Paterson, & Pavela, 1988). While researchers have examined factors such as demographics, consequences of cheating, and individual variables (e.g., class standing, grade point average, academic major, level of test anxiety; Haines, Diekhoff, LaBeff, & Clark, 1986), relatively little progress has been made in understanding the causes of cheating behaviors due to inconsistencies among studies in methodology and findings. Recently, however, studies have yielded promising results when applying neutralization theory to understand cheating behaviors (LaBeff et al., 1990; McCabe, 1992). Neutralization theory posits that individuals are able to engage in deviant activities without damage to one's self-image by justifying acts prior to commission through various manners of rationalization (Klockars, 1974; Minor, 1981; Sykes & Matza, 1957). The present study uses neutralization theory to examine the academic integrity of student athletes and nonathletes. Given the threat cheating imposes on the quality of higher education, the findings of this study will assist administrators in the development and implementation of programs to curb the frequency of cheating behaviors.
The welfare and academic integrity of the athlete and athletic department have been a primary concern for many institutions (LaBeff et al., 1990). Problems associated with the ethical violations committed by coaches and players occur frequently (Haines et al., 1986) and negatively affect the public support of and confidence in intercollegiate athletics. While the NCAA has attempted to enforce its rules and investigate violations and other dishonest practices, few interventions have been successful in reducing high rates of academic dishonesty in student athletes. One possibility for this may be due to a lack of understanding of the etiology and maintaining factors of this deviant behavior.
Efforts to control the prevalence of cheating have resulted in the application of various theories of sociology and criminology in order to understand this deviant behavior (Michaels & Miethe, 1989). Neutralization theory, in particular, has been used in several studies to understand the development and...