FROM ORIGINALITY TO INTEGRITY: CONFRONTING ACADEMIC DISHONESTY IN CREATIVE ARTS EDUCATION-PEDAGOGICAL INSIGHTS AND REFLECTIONS FROM THE COLLEGE OF ART, KNUST

Abstract

1. Introduction Volume 8 Issue 2 June 30, 2025 DOI: https://doi.org//10.63102/jaac.v8i2.20255 https://jaac-sca.org ISSN 2637-3610 Abstract Academic integrity in creative arts education remains an underexplored domain, particularly concerning contract cheating in applied arts, where traditional assessment frameworks prioritise textual knowledge over experiential, process-driven artistic practice. This study critically examines the epistemological bias inherent in institutional integrity policies, which often fail to account for the complexities of non-text-based disciplines, which poses significant challenges to authenticity and ethical practice in artistic disciplines. Drawing on their expertise as art educators, the researchers employ an art-based phenomenological approach within a hybridised descriptive-interpretive paradigm to examine academic disengagement in applied arts education, with specific attention to contract cheating. Findings reveal that cheating behaviours among creative arts students are shaped by a generational shift from valuing self to prioritising a performance-oriented self, a lack of authentic self-expression and the unethical use of technology in educational contexts. Findings further reveal a disconnect between institutional policies and the lived realities of artistic education, exacerbated by broad, text-centric definitions of misconduct. This study highlights the critical gap in academic integrity research, where discussions on contract cheating predominantly focus on conventional text-based disciplines, overlooking the complexities inherent in creative arts education. This paper advocates for a discipline-sensitive, pedagogically responsive, and institutionally adaptive approach to academic integrity, promoting assessment methodologies that align with the experiential and creative processes central to artistic scholarship