The Prediction of Religiosity on Students’ Academic Dishonesty

Abstract

Purpose – The relationship between students’ level of religiosity with their academic dishonesty in previous research was found inconsistent. The purpose of the present study is to clarify the relationship between religiosity with academic dishonesty. Design/methods/approach – This study implemented a correlational design that involved 251 (60,6% female) Islamic High School students in Batang District, Central Java, selected by using cluster random sampling. Data on religiosity was collected using the Centrality of Religiosity Scale (TCR), and academic dishonesty data were assessed using the Academic Dishonesty Scale (ADS). Findings – The results showed that religiosity predicted a decrease in academic dishonesty. Furthermore, this study also confirms that there are three dimensions (out of 5 dimensions of religiosity) that significantly predict academic dishonesty, namely ideology, private practice, and experience, while the other two dimensions, namely intellect and public practice, have no correlation with academic dishonesty. Research implications/limitations – The implications of these findings are presented for strengthening collaboration between school counselors and religious education teachers to decrease students’ academic dishonesty through strengthening the level of student religiosity in its various dimensions so that religiosity is not seen as just a ritual of worship. Originality/value – This study has clarified and confirmed the relationship between religiosity and academic dishonesty, particularly the three dimensions of religiosity that contribute to explaining academic dishonesty.