Building Academic Integrity through Islamic Education: The Role of Anti-Corruption Values in Malaysian Higher Education

Abstract

Academic integrity has become an increasingly important issue in higher education due to the growing prevalence of academic misconduct and ethical challenges faced by students. This study aims to examine the role of anti-corruption values in building academic integrity through Islamic education in Malaysian higher education institutions. The research employed a qualitative approach with a phenomenological design to explore students’ and lecturers’ experiences, perceptions, and understandings regarding the implementation of anti-corruption values within Islamic educational practices. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, observations, and document analysis involving students, lecturers, and institutional documents related to integrity and character education. The data were analyzed using the interactive model of Miles and Huberman, consisting of data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The findings reveal that Islamic education contributes significantly to the development of academic integrity by fostering values such as honesty, responsibility, discipline, fairness, trustworthiness, and accountability. These values are integrated through classroom learning, character education programs, seminars, workshops, institutional regulations, and the exemplary conduct of lecturers. The study also found that students increasingly perceive academic integrity as a moral and ethical responsibility rather than merely compliance with academic rules. Furthermore, the integration of anti-corruption values has contributed to reducing tolerance toward academic misconduct, strengthening ethical awareness, and promoting a culture of integrity within the campus environment. The study concludes that Islamic education provides an effective framework for cultivating academic integrity through the internalization of anti-corruption values. The findings offer both theoretical and practical contributions to the fields of Islamic education, character education, and integrity development in higher education.