The Relationship Between Level of Personal Integrity and Anti-Corruption Attitudes among Polytechnic Students

Author's Information:

Norita Binti Abd Aziz

General Studies Department, Politeknik Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin, Dungun, Terengganu, Malaysia

 Azman Bin Aziz

General Studies Department, Politeknik Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin, Dungun, Terengganu, Malaysia

Vol 03 No 05 (2026):Volume 03 Issue 05 May 2026

Page No.: 499-510

Abstract:

This study aims to examine the relationship between the level of personal integrity and attitudes to reject corruption among students of Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Polytechnic. Corruption is a moral issue that still plagues Malaysian society and values ​​education at the higher education institution level is seen as an important component in forming a generation of integrity. A total of 111 students were involved in this study through a survey design using a questionnaire based on a five-point Likert scale. Descriptive analysis showed that the level of personal integrity (mean = 4.31) and attitudes to reject corruption (mean = 4.56) were at a high level. Spearman's correlation test showed a significant positive relationship between personal integrity and attitudes to reject corruption (r = 0.720, p < 0.01). Meanwhile, the Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests found no significant differences according to gender, department and level of exposure to corruption issues. Overall, the results of the study prove that the formation of integrity and the ability to reject corruption of polytechnic students is more influenced by values ​​education and institutional culture than demographic factors.

KeyWords:

personal integrity, attitude against corruption, polytechnic students, anti-corruption education, ethical values.

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