The relationship between individual and situational factors with elementary fifth grade students cheating

The main purpose of this research was to predict academic cheating based on some personal and situational factors. 477 fifth-grade students were selected by random cluster sampling method. To measure the research variables, Patterns of Adaptive Learning Scale were used. Data were analyzed by using multiple regression analysis. The results showed that there is a significant inverse relationship between mastery goal orientation, classroom mastery goal structure, academic self-efficacy, and academic pressure and cheating score. Also a direct and significant relationship, between the scores of the performance orientation, classroom performance goal structure, classroom Performance-Avoid structure and the academic of self-handicapping strategies with cheating score was found. Also, the results of regression analysis showed that these variables can explain 24 percent of the variance in academic cheating variable. According to the findings of this research, it is suggested that teachers and educational staff emphasiseing the competence and personal improvement in the classrooms and avoid unhealthy competition would increasingly reduce the phenomenon of academic cheating.