Return to search

Legitimacy and the Exercise of Institutional Authority: Motivating Compliance with Student Conduct Codes

abstract: Perceptions of legitimacy are an important antecedent of rule-abiding behavior. However, most research on the link between legitimacy and compliance has focused on legal authorities (i.e., police, courts, and corrections). To help fill this gap, the present study investigates the relationship between students' perceptions of the legitimacy of institutional authority and compliance with a code of conduct in a university context. This study uses cross-sectional data from pencil-and-paper surveys administered to 517 individuals 18 years and older that were enrolled in 12 undergraduate classes at a large southwestern university. Results from the multivariate regression models show that procedural justice judgments are associated with perceived legitimacy. The evidence also supports the link between legitimacy and compliance in that the former is inversely related to students' behavioral intentions to cheat on an exam. However, legitimacy was not significantly associated with plagiarism. Overall, findings support the application of the process-based model of regulation to the university context in regards to academic misconduct. In addition to contributing to the process-based model literature, this study emphasizes the utility of the process-based model as a guide for the development of fair processes, in order to reduce the prevalence of student academic misconduct. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Criminology and Criminal Justice 2015

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:asu.edu/item:29644
Date January 2015
ContributorsBain, Stacy (Author), Reisig, Michael D. (Advisor), Holtfreter, Kristy (Committee member), Ready, Justin (Committee member), Arizona State University (Publisher)
Source SetsArizona State University
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeMasters Thesis
Format44 pages
Rightshttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/, All Rights Reserved

Page generated in 0.0028 seconds