Active learning strategies, goals, values, self-efficacy and thus study motivation are all thought to affect the depth of student engagement with their work. Plagiarism is a common problem and must reflect a shallow level of student engagement. Cognitive perspectives on learning and teaching should consider how variations in attentional control might be implicated in both study motivation and plagiarism. This study aimed to elucidate the relationship between these variables, with the intention of informing learning and teaching practices. Increased self-efficacy, active learning strategies and learning values were robustly related to a more negative attitude towards plagiarism. Attentional control was unrelated to attitudes towards plagiarism, but was robustly related to increased self-efficacy and active learning strategies. Research concerning how both active learning and self-efficacy are affected by attentional control processes should be instrumental in improving teaching techniques. Increasing students’ active learning and self-efficacy during their degree should prove to be of particular utility when developing plagiarism interventions.
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