Academic Dishonesty among Gifted and High-Achieving Students

Abstract

Gifted high school students are essentially absent in the research concerning academic integrity; however, over the past few years, educators of gifted students have noticed an increase in the occurrences of academic dishonesty among students in gifted classrooms (Abilock, 2009). This research may be analyzed to provide some insight into the motivation for gifted and high-achieving students to commit acts of academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty was prevalent among gifted and high-achieving students in this study, with the primary incidents of cheating occurring on homework assignments and exams. Students attributed their motivation for cheating to GPA pressure, peer pressure, and the demands of a heavy workload. These gifted and high-achieving students reported that they were capable of being successful without cheating, but succumbed to academic dishonesty due to the external factors. This study and existing research reveal that open dialog and discourse on expected academic behavior and student/family counseling on balancing academic and extracurricular commitments are essential in reducing undue stress and guiding the gifted to do honest work. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figure.)