Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which college students at honor code institutions understand and uphold the honor code. Three groups of honor code institutions were studied: those that (1) require, (2) oblige, and (3) encourage their students to report occurrences of peer cheating which they observe. The study also sought to determine the relationship between understanding and upholding the honor code among the three aforementioned groups. This was a descriptive study using correlational research methods. A questionnaire was developed to survey the sample population. The sample included 431 students from seventeen honor code institutions across the United States. This study found that students have a high degree of understanding of the honor code. Most comments were highly supportive of the environment of trust and the increased freedoms that the honor code created on-campus. Many students, however, are ambivalent about upholding the honor code. While many students say they personally uphold the honor code, most would not report another student they observed cheating (or were unsure what they would do). The greatest level of understanding and support for upholding the honor code was found at institutions that require their students to report the cheating behavior of their peers. There was some relationship found between understanding and upholding the honor code at institutions that require reportage, but little or no relationship found at institutions that either oblige or encourage reportage. Institutions should be sure that their honor code is a living and breathing statement of what the community values about academic integrity. An honor code education program should instruct new students and remind continuing students of their responsibilities both as individuals and as a collective community of scholars. Institutions should do everything possible to involve students in all facets of administering the honor code. Students must accept that the privileges and freedoms granted to them by the honor code come with a price: responsibility to take action in the face of misconduct of others. Institutions should work closely with student honor systems to develop procedures (that reflect the institutions's mission and culture) that enable students to take action when they observe a peer cheating.