A Narrative Inquiry of Associate Degree Nursing Students' Stories About Their Experiences of Academic Misconduct

Academic misconduct is a growing national and global concern. Academic misconduct is of concern in all disciplines today, including the discipline of nursing. There is a paucity of literature on academic misconduct in nursing; and even fewer studies on associate degree nursing students. Among the research studies that have been conducted, all but one were quantitative. The purpose of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of AD nursing students’ experiences with academic misconduct during their nursing education. This study utilizing the qualitative method of narrative inquiry seeks to address the research question: What are the stories of Associate Degree nursing students with academic misconduct experiences during their nursing education? The researcher used a purposive method of sampling for this qualitative study. Purposive sample helps recruit participants who will best contribute to the study because they have insider (emic) knowledge of the phenomenon of interest. The sample included five volunteer research participants who were all female associate degree nursing students currently enrolled in first through fourth semesters. Their ages where between 21-47. The participants were current associate degree nursing students, focusing on their experiences of academic misconduct. During the data analysis four themes emerged: Theme #1: Rules: Perception of rules unfulfilled, Theme #2 Fear of failing greater than fear of getting caught, Theme #3 Solidarity: treat others as I want to be treated, and Theme #4:Success or failure: Cheating throughout the program; you may only be cheating yourself. These themes revealed the students' experience of witnessing academic misconduct.This research study gave voice to students’ stories of academic misconduct. Narrative Inquiry gives voice to those usually not heard from and allows participants to make meaning of the experience. This research study allowed participants to reveal intimate stories of their experience with academic misconduct which may lead to further research and test taking standards.