[2603.19549] Plagiarism or Productivity? Students Moral Disengagement and Behavioral Intentions to Use ChatGPT in Academic Writing

Computer Science > Computers and Society arXiv:2603.19549 (cs) [Submitted on 20 Mar 2026] Title:Plagiarism or Productivity? Students Moral Disengagement and Behavioral Intentions to Use ChatGPT in Academic Writing Authors:John Paul P. Miranda, Rhiziel P. Manalese, Mark Anthony A. Castro, Renen Paul M. Viado, Vernon Grace M. Maniago, Rudante M. Galapon, Jovita G. Rivera, Amado B. Martinez Jr View a PDF of the paper titled Plagiarism or Productivity? Students Moral Disengagement and Behavioral Intentions to Use ChatGPT in Academic Writing, by John Paul P. Miranda and 7 other authors View PDF Abstract:This study examined how moral disengagement influences Filipino college students' intention to use ChatGPT in academic writing. The model tested five mechanisms: moral justification, euphemistic labeling, displacement of responsibility, minimizing consequences, and attribution of blame. These mechanisms were analyzed as predictors of attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, which then predicted behavioral intention. A total of 418 students with ChatGPT experience participated. The results showed that several moral disengagement mechanisms influenced students' attitudes and sense of control. Among the predictors, attribution of blame had the strongest influence, while attitudes had the highest impact on behavioral intention. The model explained more than half of the variation in intention. These results suggest that students often rely on institutional gaps ...