A study of a scale related to academic dishonesty tendencies of university students

Academic dishonesty such as cheating and plagiarism encounter this problem on the first step to prevent this on the begining process of the educational life is, to determine the potential students who have tendencies to such behaviours. When the related literature are examined, there has not been found any devices or materials helping to solve the problem. In order to eliminate this lack of equipment, within this thesis, there has been made a study to develope the scale related to the students? tendencies towards the academic dishonesty. Within this aim, in accordance with the literature review and information gained from the students, 40 items are constructed. These are both negative and positive items. The items are examined by the experts. According to the experts directions, necessary changes are made and it is decided that 25 items are placed in the measurement. These measurement form was applied as a pilot study in Abant İzzet Baysal University?s different faculties and senior high schools.The obtained data were used and analyzed according to the development of measuring processes. As a result of the item analysis, depending on the item total correlation and the differences between item?s means of upper % 27 and lower % 27 points, it has been decided that all 25 items are applicable to the scale. According to the explanatory factor analysis; these constructed 25 items can be gathered under 4 main factors. In accordance with confirmatory factor analysis, it had been decided 3 items which are placed in the first factor should be excluded. The final form of the scale includes 22 items. The first factor of the article is called ? tendency on cheating?, second is? cheating tendency on homeworks/projects in general? the third is ?the cheating or dishonesty of making a project search and making a report for a project? and the fourth is ? dishonesty on references and quotations?, respectively.Internal reliability coefficiency is 0.90, for subscales the values are .71, 0.821, 0.785 and 0.766 respectively. For test-retest reliability, the scale was applied within 15 days to 20 members. The obtained value is 0,88.For the validity of the measurement, an expert has been consulted, and they have found that the items are enable to measure the desired qualifications. The construct validity of the measurement was supported by explanatory and confirmatory factor analysis. It has been also determined that this measurement consists of four main factors. The internal validity of the measurement was tested according to t-test depending on difference between items? means of upper % 27 and lower % 27 points. There has been clearly observed that the scale can distinguish the ones whose behaviours need to be tested and who does not.As a result; there has been developed a scale related to the tendencies of dishonesty of university students and the scale has 4 subscales, 22 items. So this measurement?s reliability and validity have been proved.Key Words: Academic dishonesty, cheating, plagiarism, scale development, university students.