Article 378: Cheating Phenomenon Among Students: Causes and Solutions
Article 378: Cheating Phenomenon Among Students: Causes and Solutions
Hasan Yahya, Ph.Ds, the Dean of Arab Writers in North America
Research suggests that a significant number of undergraduate students have cheated at some point during their college careers. This is of particular concern to profession in all majors where, educators given the ethical crisis within the profession and corporate America. This article discusses the results of studies that surveyed hundreds of undergraduate with different majors from several universities. Potential solutions are discussed.
The Size of the problem: There's no doubt that cheating among students is widespread and has been growing. In some studies, up to 80 percent of high-achieving high school students and 75 percent of college students admit to cheating, a percentage that has been rising the past 50 years. Furthermore, it was reported that a University of Virginia professor found that 122 of his students were cheating on their exams and in their homework. This widespread cheating, while sad, is not peculiar to that school or that area. Cheating has become a fact of school life.
For example, in California, five of 51 schools are being checked for cheating on achievement tests; at the University of Minnesota, 17 former basketball players have been charged with academic misconduct and their coach may be sued; in Chicago, an eighth-grade class was required to retake a test because of cheating, and a scandal ensued because teachers allowed and facilitated this cheating; in New York, widespread cheating on standardized tests was found; the AP reported on a study that showed that many American high school students lie, cheat, and attend school drunk; in Maryland, a elementary school principal and two teachers have been forced to quit because of cheating; even in Taiwan, President Chen Shui-ban has admitted that he helped his then future wife cheat on a college paper. Cheating on tests for various reasons has become the way of the world. However, it is one thing to ask why students are cheating, but it is quite another to ask what are the societal implications of academic cheating.
The Canadian Journal of Higher Education( February, 2007) gives the following data: 1) In a new survey of 15,000 university students in five provinces, 53 per cent confess to having cheated in their assignments -- and an astonishing 73 per cent said they cheated in high school. 2) 18 per cent of the university undergrads admit to cheating on a test or exam in their current studies. 3) 9 per cent of graduate students said they had cheated on a test or exam. 4) 58 per cent of the first-year students surveyed said they had cheated on a test or exam in high school by copying from another student without the person's knowledge, helping another student cheat on a test or using "cheat sheets." 5) 46 per cent of faculty and 38 per cent of TAs surveyed said they had ignored suspected cases of misconduct, mostly because they didn't think they had the proof to back up their suspicions.
A 1998 national survey found that four out of five top students admitted cheating at some point. In another nationwide study, nine out of ten high school teachers acknowledged cheating is a problem in their school. ABC News Primetime Poll, (April, 2005) on Cheating Among Teens also gives these findings: In an exclusive ABCNEWS Primetime poll of 12- to 17-year-olds, seven in 10 say at least some kids in their school cheat on tests. Six in 10 have friends who've cheated. About one in three say they themselves have cheated, rising to 43 percent of older teens. And most say cheaters don't get caught. That doesn't make it right in most students' eyes: Nearly all teens in this national, random-sample survey say cheating's wrong. Most who admit to cheating say it was a rare thing. And fewer than three in 10 say "most" or "a lot" of kids in their school cheat; 44 percent say it's just "some." Still, though, 12 percent nearly one in eight say "most" kids in their school cheat on tests.
Why students Cheat and how to curb the problem? While Eighty percent of high school students share the belief that college is the door to a successful career, and they may believe as well that the better the college, the better the chances of success later on. They gives the reasons of cheating are: friendship or peer groups membership, where those who've cheated are more apt to be tempted, and actually to cheat, themselves. The age factor is another, where older teens are more apt than younger ones to say a lot of kids at their school cheat, to have friends that cheat and to say they've been tempted to cheat. In addition to the hard data above, among 12- to 14-year-olds, 23 percent admit cheating; that rises to 36 percent of kids age 15-17, and, as noted, peaks at 43 percent of those age 16-17. Introducing the factor of parents communication of the issue shows that just one-third of kids say they and their parents have had a serious talk about cheating in school. But it's not clear that it helps: Kids who have spoken about it with their parents are no less likely to have cheated, or been tempted to cheat, as those who haven't. Still, those who are the most likely to say they've cheated kids age 16-17 are the least likely to say they've talked about the issue with their parents. Just 27 percent say they've done so, compared with 41 percent of 12- to 13-year-olds.
According to the factor of morality, kids do know right from wrong on cheating. Only 8 percent believe that in order to get ahead in life, you have to cheat from time to time; 90 percent, instead, say cheaters will lose out in the long run. And 96 percent say their parents would rather have them do their own best work, regardless of the grade, than get good grades if it means cheating.
The factor of teachers, where better teacher involvement could serve as deterrents. A third of kids say they'd be more likely to cheat if they knew they'd never get caught; this suggests that better enforcement could help curb the practice. In a seemingly related result, almost as many teens, nearly three in 10, say they'd be more likely to cheat if they had a teacher who didn't seem to care about their work. Teachers who develop student loyalty as well as those who guard against cheating also may be better-equipped to prevent it.
More advanced methods to curb cheating: The Education Testing Service (ETS), the world's largest private testing and educational measurement organization, and the Advertising Council, a nonprofit organization of advertising professionals that does pro bono work, have aimed this campaign at children 10 to 14 years old. They in fact call for joining forces among groups of students to wage an all-out war on student cheating called "Cheating Is a Personal Foul." The campaign features television, radio, and print ads. The ads show children tempted to cheat in everyday situations. A whistle blows, and out from a child's head pops an animated referee who says, "Cheating is a personal foul." The ultimate goal of the campaign is to "persuade children not to cheat and to not accept cheating among their friends," said a news release from ETS. Ads are designed to convey "the message that doing what's right brings a feeling of pride and a sense of accomplishment."
These organizations came with the following practices: 1) Focus on kids' sense of pride. Encourage them to do work honestly so they can have the satisfaction of telling others, "I did that on my own." 2) Assure children that cheating is neither "normal" or acceptable. Many kids believe that "everybody" cheats and that parents don't care if they cheat and/or don't want to know about it. Make it your business to disprove that fallacy. 3) Ask children to consider where the world would be today if everybody cheated. How would they feel knowing that their doctor cheated on his or her medical exams or that one of their heroes (Sammy Sosa or Britney Spears, for example) cheated to get ahead? 4) Don't lose sight of the "education factor." Young children love to learn, merely for learning's sake. Focus on fueling that interest and on encouraging strong efforts, rather than obsessing over grades and scores.
In conclusion, anyone who cheats is a cheater; whether he or she cheats in school or elsewhere. Cheating is a character flaw, but it may be a psychological disorder in some.I might add that no face is saved by cheating; it is lost. It is wiser, and far more honest, to say I don't know and fail, than to cheat and pass. Cheaters in fact, lack self-confidence, therefore, they cheat themselves not others. (1489 words) www.askdryahya.com
Sources:
http://www.school-for-champions.com/character/newberger_cheating2.htm
http://esciencenews.com/articles/2009/08/09/epidemic.student.cheating.can.be.cured.with.changes.classroom.goals
http://www.gibbsmagazine.com/Cheating Student.htm
http://www.caveon.com/resources/cheating_statistics.htm
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