Taking the Shortcut? A Dual Process of Student’s Intentions to AI-giarism

Students in higher education frequently fall into the trap of plagiarism,
now evolving into a more complex form known as AI-giarism, referring to the
misuse of AI tools to complete academic tasks. As this issue grows, institutions
would increasingly query: Why do students engage in this inappropriate behav
iour? This study explores how students are influenced by a shortcut mentality
and academic procrastination, which lead to unethical academic practices. This
study applies dual process theory to explore the underlying process, distinguish
ing between two decision-making routes: a behavioural path (Type 1 processing)
and a cognitive path (Type 2 processing). Using SmartPLS, this research vali
dated the measurement and structural models. PROCESS Model 4 was used to
examine mediation analysis. Findings revealed that shortcut mentality signifi
cantly predicted AI-giarism intention, both directly and indirectly via academic
procrastination, supporting the behavioural (Type 1) route. However, the cogni
tive pathway via perceived benefits was not supported, as shortcut mentality did
not significantly predict perceived benefits, and the indirect effect was non-sig
nificant. This highlights that emotion-driven behaviour plays a more important
role than rational evaluation in students’ AI misuse. Theoretically, the study ex
tends dual process theory to academic dishonesty in digital contexts. Practically,
it suggests that interventions should focus on improving self-regulation and emo
tional coping mechanisms, rather than solely emphasising rational warnings and
threats.