Tricher à l’université avant et pendant la pandémie de COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in cheating, accelerating a trend that has been ongoing in universities for decades. Although some teaching practices, such as supporting students’ autonomy, are associated with reduced cheating, it is unclear how these associations have evolved during the pandemic. Our study, grounded in self-determination theory, examines how teaching practices perceived as supportive and/or thwarting to basic psychological needs (BPN) are associated with students’ cheating before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Structural equation modeling results on samples of 1,783 (pre-pandemic) and 1,053 (during the pandemic) students revealed that teaching practices that affect BPN are associated with cheating. This association is stronger before the pandemic than it is during the pandemic, suggesting a shift in teacher-student dynamics. Overall, low levels of BPN support and high levels of BPN thwarting predict student cheating. Relatedness thwarting specifically emerges as a positive predictor of cheating at both time points. These results highlight that predictors of cheating are not necessarily involved with rising cases, as was the case during the COVID-19 pandemic or, perhaps, over the last few decades.