Female education for social development and Re-cultivating academic integrity among undergraduates of tertiary institutions in southern cross river state, nigeria

Abstract

Female is a strategic development priority. Better educated women tend to be healthier than uneducated women, participate more in the formal labor market, earn more income, give birth to fewer children, marry at a later age, and provide better health care and education to their children. The paper posits that academic integrity is very crucial for the female pursuit of academic knowledge in realizing their potentials. This makes the connection between female education and academic integrity significant. The values of academic integrity are expected to be promoted or re-cultivated in the school. Three research questions and three hypotheses were formulated and tested in the study.  Relevant and related literature was reviewed. The study adopted the survey research design. The sample for this study consisted of 750 female undergraduate students selected from three tertiary institutions in the study areas. In analyzing the obtained data, the Chi-square inferential statistics was adopted. The findings revealed that female education for social development is significantly moderated and modulated by academic integrity and reduced academic dishonesty in terms of cheating, plagiarism, unethical behavior, purchase of research papers and falsification of research data among lecturers and students. It was concluded that education is an engine of growth and key to the development of every society based on its quality. Hence the paper recommended that in view of the unique role of our women in facilitating social development through political participation, fertility regulation and labour force engagement, academic integrity should be re- cultivated in the tertiary education system.