All academic misconduct behaviours are equal, but some are more equal than others : exploring educator perceptions of the impact of criminalising contract cheating on the academic misconduct landscape in the UK, through the lens of TPA

Parkman, E. (2025) All academic misconduct behaviours are equal, but some are more equal than others : exploring educator perceptions of the impact of criminalising contract cheating on the academic misconduct landscape in the UK, through the lens of TPA. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, 2025 (36). pp. 1-22. ISSN 1759-667X

Abstract

Using thematic analysis and the Theory of Practice Architectures (TPA), this study assessed educator perceptions of the 2022 criminalisation of providing or advertising contract cheating (CC) services in the United Kingdom (UK). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten participants from ten different UK-based Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), all of whom taught/were currently teaching at a HEI and had interacted with at least one academic misconduct case in the last five years. Educators were asked to share their own perceptions, in addition to those they believed their students held on the criminalisation of CC. Thematic analysis revealed four key themes: indifference, confusion, support and Generative-Artificial Intelligence (Gen-AI), which were then aligned to the arrangements of TPA to highlight how these themes may be influencing the practice of contract cheating. The study found that educators were indifferent towards CC criminalisation, and that many educators felt unsupported in the pursuit of academic misconduct cases. Respondents were more concerned about the rise of Gen-AI and its impact on future academic integrity.