Construction of a scale to measure moral disengagement associated with plagiarism in young university students

Lingán-Huamán S.K.; Dominguez-Lara S.; Cárdenas-Quispe S.; Baca-Miyasato Y. · International Journal of Adolescence and Youth (2026) · DOI: 10.1080/02673843.2026.2629235

Resumen

This study developed the psychometric validation of a scale oriented to the measurement of moral disengagement associated with plagiarism (MDP) in 286 Peruvian university students (69.2% female; Mage = 21.2). The internal structure of the measurement was evaluated using Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling. Several models were assessed (seven-factor, bifactor, and unidimensional). Items were gradually eliminated until a brief and unidimensional version of 12 items. Moreover, beside an adequate internal consistency (ω =.966, α =.949), favorable evidence of discriminant validity was obtained by considering a bifactor analysis together with a generic measure of moral disengagement, in which the measurement of MDP showed independence (ωHS =.781) from the general factor (ωH =.739) and from the other specific factor (ωHS =.107). The findings demonstrate that the proposed scale has evidence of validity and reliability for application in research and evaluation in university settings.

Instituciones: Universidad de San Martín de Porres; Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola