A Longitudinal Analysis of the Willingness to Use ChatGPT for Academic Cheating: Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior

The rise of chatbot technology has raised concerns about the potential for these technologies to facilitate cheating behaviors. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate the determinants of individuals' utilization of chatbot-generated texts in a fraudulent manner. Based on the theory of planned behavior, we investigated antecedents of the intention and behavior regarding the use of chatbot-generated texts for academic cheating. Participants (N = 610) provided data on their attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intentions to use chatbot-generated texts for academic cheating. Three months later, 212 of these participants reported on whether they had actually used chatbot-generated texts for academic cheating during the last 3 months. Results showed that attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control significantly predicted intentions. Intentions, in turn, predicted future usage. Importantly, this relationship remained significant when accounting for the influence of past usage of chatbot-generated texts for academic cheating. These findings underscore the relevance of the theory of planned behavior in understanding academic cheating intentions and behavior, providing insights for potential interventions to reduce academic cheating.