Investigating the Mediating role of Academic Motivation in the Relationship between Basic Psychological Needs, Educational justice, and Cheating Behavior

Background: Characteristically, dishonest learners lack maturity and dedication; and prefer to rationalize their cheating conduct. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to provide a model for explaining the impact of academic motivation on the relationship between basic psychological needs and educational justice with cheating behavior. Method: Structural equation modeling was the method used in this research. Sample of the study consisted of 400 students selected from all female senior high schools in 4 districts of Tehran, Iran, in the academic year 2017-2018. The sample size was chosen according to Morgan table, using cluster random sampling method. Harter et al.'s Academic Motivation scale (1981), questionnaire of Basic Psychological Needs (2010) educational justice Questionnaire (2010), and Newstead et al.'s cheating Behavior Questionnaire (1996) were used for data collection. Data analysis was performed through SPSS software version 22 and Amos 23(alpha = 0.05). Results: Most of the participants were 16-year-old students, studying in the 10th grade. The results showed that the basic psychological needs and educational justice have a significant indirect effect on the cheating behaviors through the educational motivation (beta=-0.29; P=0.001) and the mediating role of educational motivation in the relationship between basic psychological needs and Educational justice (beta=-0.26; P=0.001) is confirmed by cheating behaviors with 95% confidence (p<0.05). Conclusion: The results obtained in this study indicated that educational needs and educational justice have a significant indirect effect on cheating behaviors through educational motivation and the mediating role of educational motivation is supported by cheating behaviors in the relationship between psychological needs and educational justice.