Introduction/ Rationale: There is minimal research on cheating among occupational therapy (OT) students. Evidence suggests that many students do not recognize cheating as morally wrong, and there are concerns that students may normalize dishonest behavior and integrate it into their learning. Studies have established links between violations of academic integrity in the classroom and incidences of unethical professional practices committed by students (Brown et al., 2019a).
Objective: This study surveyed OT students to determine whether predictor variables, including gender, level of study, generational cohort, and self-efficacy, correlated with acts of academic dishonesty in completing coursework.
Methods/ Approach: A quantitative cross-sectional survey using a multiple linear regression design was employed to determine whether any variables were associated with academic violations among occupational therapy students.
Results / Practice Implications: Results indicate that gender and level of study exhibit weak associations with academic dishonesty among OT students. The sample participants exhibited a medium tendency toward cheating, which aligns with previous research.
Conclusion / Contribution to the Occupational Therapy Profession: This study's results continue to identify tendencies toward academic cheating among OT students. Results also indicate that gender and self-efficacy may not play as significant a role in predicting academic dishonesty as previously thought. As student learning needs change, so does academia. Educators need to understand how to engage current students and be willing to alter teaching methods to discourage academic dishonesty.