Investigating the influence of religiosity on academic dishonesty and moral and social deviance among higher education students

Abstract

The intention was to investigate the influence of religiosity on the deviance of undergraduate students, involving the moderating roles of students’ sex, age, education level and religious affiliation. Grounded in social bond theory, it posits that religiosity strengthens pro-social bonds and deters unethical behaviour. Using a cross-sectional survey design, data were gathered from 313 third- and fourth-year B.Ed. Arts students (male = 120; female = 193) in a Ghanaian university. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was used for data analysis. It was found that while religiosity was high among students, its dimensions had a divergent effect. Religious principles (RPR) showed a significant positive effect on moral deviance (MD), whereas religious practices (RP) positively influenced social deviance (SD). The direct effects on academic dishonesty (AD) were non-significant. Furthermore, moderation analysis indicated that the influence of religiosity is context-dependent. Sex moderated the relationship between RP and AD, educational level moderated the link between RPR and MD, and religious affiliation moderated the effect of RP on AD. Age was not a significant moderator. The model demonstrated moderate explanatory power for AD (R² = 0.308) but weaker predictive relevance for MD and SD. These findings challenge oversimplified assumptions and highlight the need for targeted, context-sensitive ethical interventions in higher education.