College student participation in extracurricular activities is recognized as a contributing factor to an increase in academic cheating behaviors. National Intramural and Recreational Sport Association (NIRSA)-sponsored sports emphasize that all participants demonstrate appropriate ethical behaviors (i.e., sportsmanship) throughout competition. This study explores the impact that participation in recreational sports programs in college has on the frequency of self-reported instances of academic cheating. Specifically, we assess whether participation in NIRSA-sponsored activities which focus on the development of ethical behaviors in sports (i.e., sportsmanship), translates into ethical behaviors in the classroom, as measured through self-reported instances of academic dishonesty. Results show that participation in NIRSA-sponsored programs is directly related to an increase in self-reported instances of academic cheating.
ArtingerL.ClaphamL.HuntC.MeigsM.MilordN.SamplsonB.ForresterS. (2006). The social benefits of intramural sports. NASPA Journal, 43(1), 69–86. https://doi.org/10.2201949-6605.1572
3.
BeasleyE. M. (2014). Students reported for cheating explain what they think would have stopped them. Ethics & Behavior, 24(3), 229–252. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508422.2013.845533
4.
BeasleyE. M. (2016). Comparing the demographics of students reported for academic dishonesty to those of the overall student population. Ethics & Behavior, 26(1), 45–62. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508422.2014.978977
5.
BeldonZ.WalkerJ.CollinsJ. (2022). Examining differences between varsity and club sports in student-athlete development. Recreational Sports Journal, 46(1), 105–114. https://doi.org/10.1177/15588661221077696
6.
BrattonV. K.StrittmatterC. (2013). To cheat or not to cheat? The role of personality in academic and business ethics. Ethics and Behavior, 23(6), 427–444. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508422.2013.811077
7.
Chudzicka-CzupalaA.GrabowskiD.MelloA. L.KuntzJ.ZahariaD. V.HaponN.BörüD. (2016). Applications of the theory of planned behavior in academic cheating research—cross-cultural comparison. Ethics and Behavior, 26(8), 638–659. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508422.2015.1112745
8.
Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education. (2009). CAS professional standards for higher education (7th ed.). Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education.
9.
HainesD. J.FortmanT. (2008). The college recreational sports learning environment. Recreational Sports Journal, 32(1), 52–61. https://doi.org/10.1123/rsj.32.1.52
10.
Halls-Yanessa, S. L., & Forrester, S. (2004). Differences in leadership development of club sport officers. Recreational Sports Journal, 28(1), 7–18.https://doi.org/10.1123/rsj.28.1.7
11.
HirkoS. (2008,November 8). Higher education research of intercollegiate athletics: A missed opportunity [Paper presentation]. Annual Conference of the Association for the Study of Higher Education, Jacksonville, FL, United States.
12.
HornT. S. (2008). Coaching effectiveness in the sport domain. In T. S. Horn (Ed.), Advances in sport psychology (pp. 269–267, 455–459). Human Kinetics.
13.
Kline, R. B. (2005). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (2nd ed.). The Guilford Press
14.
McCabeD. L. (1993). Faculty responses to academic dishonesty: The influence of student honor codes. Research in Higher Education, 34, 647–658. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00991924
15.
McCabeD. L.ButterfieldK. D.TreviñoL. K. (2012). Cheating in college: Why students do it and what can be done about it. Johns Hopkins University Press.
16.
McCabeD. L.TreviñoL. K. (1993). Academic dishonesty: Honor codes and other contextual influences. Journal of Higher Education, 64(5), 522–538. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.1993.11778446
17.
McCabeD. L.TreviñoL. K. (1997). Individual and contextual influences on academic dishonesty: A multicampus investigation. Research in Higher Education, 38(3), 379–396. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024954224675
18.
NelsonM. F.JamesM. S. L.MilesA.MorrellD. L.SledgeS. (2017). Academic integrity of millennials: The impact of religion and spirituality. Ethics & Behavior, 27(5), 385–400. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508422.2016.1158653
19.
NewmanT.BlackS.SantosF.JefkaB.BrennanN. (2021). Coaching the development and transfer of life skills: A scoping review of facilitative coaching practices in youth sports. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10/1080/1950984X.2021.1910977
20.
NIRSA (2007). 2007 NIRSA Salary Census. Retrieved from NIRSA.org
21.
PattonL. D.RennK. A.GuidoF. M.QuayeS. J. (2016). Student development in college: Theory, research, and practice (3rd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
22.
PinoN. W.SmithW. L. (2003). College students and academic dishonesty. College Student Journal, 37(4), 490–500.
23.
PopoolaI. T.GarnerB.AmmeterA.KreyN.AmmerterD. B.SchaferS. (2017). How does ethics institutionalization reduce academic cheating?Journal of Education for Business, 92(1), 29–35. https://doi.org/10.1080/08832323.2016.1274710
24.
RothwellE.TheodoreP. (2006). Intramurals and college student development: The role of intramurals on values clarification. Recreational Sports Journal, 30(1), 46–52. https://doi.org/10.1123/rsj.30.1.46
25.
SchwabK.WellsM.Arthur-BanningS. (2010). Experiences in youth sports: A comparison between players’ and parents’ perspectives. Journal of Sport Administration & Supervision, 2(1), 41–51.
26.
SpearJ. A.MillerA. N. (2012). The effects of instructor fear appeals and moral appeals on cheating-related attitude and behavior of university students. Ethics & Behavior, 22(3), 196–207. 10.1080/10508422.2012.659603
27.
StrandB.BrothersonS.TracyT. (2018). Gamesmanship beliefs and ethical decision making of college athletes. The Physical Educator, 75(2), 302–320. https://doi.org/10.18666/TPE-2018-V75-I2-7522
28.
TerenziniP. T.ReasonR. D. (2005, November 19). Parsing the first year of college: Rethinking the effects of college on students [Paper presentation]. The Annual Conference of the Association for the Study of Higher Education, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
29.
Yeatts, P. E., Barton, M., Henson, R. K., Martin, S. B. (2017). The use of structure coefficients to address multicollinearity in sport and exercise science. Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science, 21(3), 83–91. https://doi.org/10.1080.1091367x.2016.1259162
