Policy, pedagogy, and perceived inevitability: Turkish EFL teachers' perspectives on deterring cheating in online assessments

Abstract

Student assessment in an online teaching environment poses a significant challenge due to violations of academic integrity, such as academic dishonesty in online assessments. This qualitative study, based on Deci and Ryan’s Self-Determination Theory (SDT), Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development, and Ostrom’s Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) Framework, investigated Turkish higher education university teachers' views on cheating-deterring strategies as well as the function of administrative policies as facilitators or barriers to online assessment. Data from 16 English teachers were thematically analyzed using MAXQDA 2022, employing semi-structured interviews and narrative frameworks. Administrative policies were formulated as institutional instructions, digital infrastructure, and aspects of teacher autonomy. The obtained themes have been classified into three main meta-themes: Perceived Inevitability of Cheating, Agency Through Design for Deterrence, and Policy Ambiguity and its Impact on online assessment. The study emphasizes effective instructional design tactics, policy suggestions, and professional development methods to promote academic integrity in online educational settings.