While most agree that cheating is wrong (Baird, 1980), students tend to neutralize this factor in justifying cheating behaviors (McCabe, 1992). (Bourassa, 2011)
Academic dishonesty is a growing issue worldwide. But why? What causes one to cheat? That is the question that is always asked, but never answered. So, using many different resources to discover the real cause behind academic dishonesty, I plan to not only give reason behind such behavior but to aid in finding a solution.
The issue that I’ve found that causes most research to be inconsistent when using different studies to create one general idea is that not all researchers consider cheating to be the same thing. So, to get a more accurate idea of what academic dishonesty is and the rates at which cheating occur I am only using research that has the same general idea as to
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(1992) concluded that 80% of cheating comes from two main categories. Whereas , Sunday (2000) stated that the behaviors such as plagiarism, getting answer to an exam from someone who has already taken it, and collaborating with work when individual work was specified was among the highest cheating rates. McCabe (1992) found that the most common practices include: failure to foot note, copying from others, padding a bibliography, and assisting others in cheating. Baird (1980) Indicated that obtaining test scores ahead of time, copying from others, allowing others to copy, and plagiarism are the most common forms of cheating. And Levy (2007) reported that more than 44% of students copy information from the internet without properly citing it. In all McCabe and Treviono (1993), who studied 12 different cheating behaviors, concluded that nearly 79% of students admit to at least one form of cheating. Whereas Bowers’ (1964), who used nearly 5000 samples from 100 different universities, found that overall only 67% of student’s cheat. Which brings on the question as to whether cheating is becoming more of an issue as time
That stomach churning feeling of guilt for many seems to appear as a small price to pay when completing an act of academic dishonesty. Colleen Wenke wrote an essay on cheating eighteen years ago called “Too Much Pressure”. In the past fifty years, the number of students who admit to cheating has increased fifty to seventy percent(Gaffe). Many people wonder what leads the students to make this unjust decision. Today, the reason for a rise in cheaters is because of how easy it has become, leading many students to the false conclusion that they aren’t breaking any rules; It is simply viewed as a shortcut to success in the classroom and beyond.
Students show bad academic integrity by cheating. but cheating has a wide range of examples. Most people think of cheating to be copying someone’s work, or using a study guide on a test, but it can mean much more than that. Students now have
Academic honesty is defined as the use of one's own work, this includes thoughts, materials and workings, in the endeavours of writing papers, taking exams (online or campus based), and other assessable material (Harder, 2014). Academic integrity is the ethical policy of academia. This includes values such as prevention of plagiarism; upholding a high academic standard; honesty and rigour in research (Kirk, 1996). Plagiarism is one of many dishonesties that occurs and is the most common. In 2010, Johanson published an article that stated there may be a correlation with the recent abundance of technology and the rise of student dishonesty. "Access to high-technology has made cheating more convenient, flexible, and efficient…”(Johanson, 2010)
Slobogin, K. (2002, April 5). Survey: Many students say cheating’s ok. Retrieved June 12, 2009,
Academic dishonesty is a threat to every student and every institution of higher education. The very act runs contrary to the fundamental values of higher education (Bowers, 1964). Dishonesty compromises the integrity of the individual student as well as the reputation of the institution (Engler, Landau, & Epstein, 2008; Gallant, 2008).
Cheating is a big issue that has reached the most competitive campuses around the United States. It is increasing more and more with the new technology that we have in the 21st century because students have easy access to many sources of information. Cheating is something all students have done at some point in their lives, but as they reach a higher academic level, they are faced with more rigorous consequences that can affect their futures in many different ways. Cheating might be seen as an easy way to obtain a good grade, get into a good college, or maintain scholarships or financial aid, but the consequences could affect the life and the future of the student.
Modern students face many pressures for academic success. They are often unwilling to disappoint their parents or spouses. Some fear that not cheating will weaken a student’s ability to compete with their peers. They rationalize their unethical behavior, unwilling to accept a poor grade, consequently justifying cheating as the only means to that end.
"I’m preparing for the real world. Business is unethical. Cheating is just good training. I’ll be better able to handle what’s put at me when I get out." "‘Oh, it’ll only be this once’ or ‘Everyone else does it, so why shouldn’t I?’" Sly glances at a neighbor’s work, an open book on the lap, or even high-technology methods—the resources of the cheater are many and varied. Whatever the methods, there are many statements like those above to justify cheating. For example, in the United States, surveys show that more than half of all students cheat, or have cheated, during their school years.
Academic knowledge is the basis on which future prosperity, and financial security has been determined. As a consequence, students feel inclined to perform above average in school. Now, as students perform less and less, they sink to obtain good grades by cheating. This method to acquire the desired grades will only harm the student, instead of the imagined result. Prompted by a child’s inability to perform basic tasks throughout his education , academic cheating spawns numerous negative consequences.
People cheat for a variety of reasons. Although there has always been dishonesty and cheating in society, cheating seems to be more common in our world today. Many people lie and cheat to get a good grade, to save money, to make others lives easier, and to make people feel better.
Cheating on academic work is a serious issue that most students admit to doing at some point in their academic career. Elite students are surprisingly the culprits of cheating, but hide it well. (Romm, para 5) Cheating is such a large issue that “70% of students from a sample of 1,800 from nine campuses said they had cheated at least once during their college careers.” (Schneider, para 9) Students cheat on academic work because of different, ongoing pressures in their lives. Understanding the student’s motives and pressures are essential to preventing cheating from occurring in the future. Students cheat for different reasons specific to them regarding their priorities, pressures and because of how easy it has become. Even though eliminating cheating will not happen, there are actions that educational professionals can and should take to prevent most of it from happening so often. Therefor cheating problems are minimized and have a positive impact on the student’s education and understanding of concepts.
Jones, D. R. (2011). Academic Dishonesty: Are More Students Cheating?. Business Communication Quarterly, 74(2), 141-150. Retrieved from EBSCOhost
In a child’s early youth, their minds are like brand new sponges, ready and willing to soak up information to learn all about the new life. Younger or older, the pressure of life begins to sink in on them. This pressure desperately searches for an outlet, and cheating is one of the outlets. The concept of cheating is never dwelt on in school, the teacher will just mention to the class not to look onto your neighbor’s paper, but doesn’t spend time to reinforce the severity of cheating in school. Picture a middle schooler, who must go to school, attend club meetings, participate in basketball practice, study for the upcoming test, finish their homework and get to bed by 9pm to do it all over again.
Academic dishonesty in more advanced education systems is not a new occurrence. The alarming frequency of the cases of academic dishonesty on colleges and schools requires more innovative means of remedying the concern. Academic dishonesty refers to types of plagiarism and cheating that entails learners receiving or offering unapproved support in an academic practice or attaining recognition or praise for a piece that is not theirs ("How College Classes Encourage Cheating - The Boston Globe"). Cheating can be defined as deliberately applying or trying to apply unapproved information, materials, or study supports in an academic practice. On the other hand, plagiarism refers to the intentional reproduction or adoption of words or ideas or sentences
In a society that promotes taking the easy way out and being part of a generation that is known for wanting instant results without the struggle, I have found myself to be an outlier while in college. I am one of the few students who would rather take a ‘C’ on an exam due to my failure in intellect than an ‘A’ due to cheating. Most academic dishonesty occurs not because of immorality, but because desperation sets in. I know better than anyone what that feels like, especially when it is a matter of passing or failing a class. However, it takes a truly honest and responsible person to preserve academic integrity when cheating and plagiarism are readily available.