Introducion: Academic life is one of the most important periods in an individual’s life, as it shapes effective and successful learning, fosters the development of talents and abilities, and contributes to scientific progress. However, in everyday academic life-particularly under conditions of virtual education-students encounter various challenges, obstacles, and specific pressures for multiple reasons. These pressures include poor academic performance, elevated stress levels, threats to self-confidence, and decreased motivation, which may sometimes lead to academic dishonesty and academic avoidance (truancy), with potentially different consequences for male and female students. Therefore, based on these theoretical foundations and the inconsistent findings reported in previous studies, the present study aimed to compare academic dishonesty, task value, and academic avoidance across three instructional methods (in-person, blended, and virtual instruction on the SHAD platform), while examining the moderating role of gender.
Methods: The statistical population consisted of all male and female fifth-grade elementary school students in Ilkhchi city during the 2024–2025 academic year. From this population, 90 students were selected using cluster sampling. First, six schools under the Ilkhchi Department of Education-three boys’ schools and three girls’ schools-were randomly selected. Then, one fifth-grade class was randomly chosen from each school, resulting in a total of six classes (three boys’ classes and three girls’ classes). Two classes (one boys’ class and one girls’ class) received only in-person instruction, two classes received only virtual instruction via the SHAD platform, and the remaining two classes received blended instruction. Accordingly, the sample included 45 female students and 45 male students; 30 students received in-person instruction, 30 received virtual instruction, and 30 received blended instruction. The inclusion criteria were enrollment in the fifth grade and willingness to participate in the study. The exclusion criterion was incomplete or inaccurate completion of the questionnaires.
Results:  The findings indicate that the mean levels of academic dishonesty and academic avoidance are higher among boys than girls, whereas the mean level of task value is higher among girls than boys. In addition, in the virtual instruction method on the SHAD platform, the mean levels of academic dishonesty and academic avoidance are higher than those observed in the in-person and blended methods. Conversely, in the in-person instructional method, the mean level of task value is higher than in the SHAD virtual platform and blended methods. To examine differences in academic dishonesty, task value, and academic avoidance across the three instructional methods (in-person, blended, and virtual on the SHAD platform), multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted. The results revealed a significant difference among the three instructional groups with respect to academic dishonesty, task value, and academic avoidance. Specifically, the mean level of academic dishonesty among students receiving virtual instruction on the SHAD platform was higher than that of students in the in-person and blended instructional methods. Moreover, students in the blended method exhibited higher mean academic dishonesty than those in the in-person method (P ≤ 0.01). Furthermore, the mean task value among students receiving in-person instruction was higher than that of students educated through the SHAD virtual platform and the blended method. Similarly, the mean level of academic avoidance among students in the SHAD virtual platform was higher than that of students in the in-person and blended instructional methods (P ≤ 0.01). The interaction effect of gender and instructional method on academic dishonesty was statistically significant, indicating that gender plays a moderating role in the relationship between instructional method and academic dishonesty. Descriptive results showed that male students exhibited higher mean levels of academic dishonesty than female students in the SHAD virtual instruction method. Additionally, the interaction effect of gender and instructional method on task value was significant, suggesting that gender also moderates the relationship between instructional method and task value.
Discussion:  The aim of the present study was to compare academic dishonesty, task value, and academic avoidance across three instructional methods (in-person, blended, and virtual instruction on the SHAD platform), with gender considered as a moderating variable. The findings suggest that by carefully examining these variables and their reciprocal effects on students’ academic outcomes across different instructional approaches-and by taking into account the moderating role of gender-it may be possible to reduce academic dishonesty and academic avoidance while enhancing task value among students in various educational contexts. Like most research in the behavioral sciences, the present study has certain limitations, including reliance on self-report measures such as questionnaires. Future studies could employ qualitative methods, such as interviews, to enrich the findings. In addition to questionnaires, observational methods and interviews may be used to assess the study variables more comprehensively and to increase the generalizability of the results. Based on the findings of the present study, it is recommended that training programs be provided for teachers to help them identify and prevent academic dishonesty and academic avoidance. Furthermore, policymakers should pay close attention to gender differences in the causes and patterns of these variables. For instance, it may be necessary to design gender-sensitive policies aimed at preventing online cheating among male and female students.