College cheating in Japan and the United States

This paper reports the results of a survey on academic dishonesty given to samples of 392 American and 276 Japanese college students in 1994 and 1995. Our data revealed both cross-cultural differences and similarities in cheating behavior and attitudes. Compared to American students, Japanese students reported a higher incidence rate of cheating on exams. a greater tendency to neutralize (i.e., justify) cheating, and a greater passivity in their reactions to the observed cheating of others. Among cheaters of both nationalities, Japanese students rated social stigma and fear of punishment as less effective in deterring cheating than did American students. Our data also revealed cross-cultural similarities. Among noncheaters of both nationalities, guilt was the most effective deterrent. Among cheaters of both nationalities, fear of punishment was the most effective deterrent. And students of both cultures, cheaters and noncheaters alike, viewed social stigma as the least effective deterrent to cheating. In both cultures, most students react to cheating by ignoring it, about one-third react by resenting it, and active reactions (i.e., reporting the cheating or confronting the cheater) were seldom reported. Explanations for cross-cultural differences are suggested, and implications of these findings for efforts to reduce cheating are discussed.