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Academic cheating is defined as
representing someone else's work as your own. It can take many forms, including
sharing another's work, purchasing a term paper or test questions in advance,
paying another to do the work for you.
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Statistics show that cheating among
high school students has risen dramatically during the past 50
years.
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In the past it was the struggling
student who was more likely to cheat just to get by. Today it is also the
above-average college bound students who are cheating.
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73% of all test takers, including
prospective graduate students and teachers agree that most students do cheat at
some point. 86% of high school students agreed.
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Cheating no longer carries the
stigma that it used to. Less social disapproval coupled with increased
competition for admission into universities and graduate schools has made
students more willing to do whatever it takes to get the A.
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Grades, rather than education, have
become the major focus of many students.
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Fewer college officials (35%)
believe that cheating is a problem, in this country than do members of the
public (41%).
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High school students are less
likely than younger test takers to report cheaters, because it would be
"tattling" or "ratting out a friend."
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Many students feel that their
individual honesty in academic endeavors will not affect anyone
else.
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While about 20% of college students
admitted to cheating in high school during the 1940's, today between 75 and 98
percent of college students surveyed each year report having cheated in high
school.
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Students who cheat often feel
justified in what they are doing. They cheat because they see others cheat and
they think they will be unfairly disadvantaged. The cheaters are getting 100 on
the exam, while the non-cheaters may only get 90's.
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In most cases cheaters don't get
caught. If caught, they seldom are punished severely, if at
all.
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Cheating increases due to pressure
for high grades.
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Math and Science are the courses in
which cheating most often occurs.
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Computers can make cheating easier
than ever before. For example, students can download term papers from the world
wide web.
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"Thirty years ago, males admitted
to significantly more academic dishonesty than females. Today, that difference
has decreased substantially and some recent studies show no differences in
cheating between men and women in college."
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Cheating may begin in elementary
school when children break or bend the rules to win competitive games against
classmates. It peaks during high school when about 75% of students admit to
some sort of academic misgivings.
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Research about cheating among
elementary age children has shown that: There are more opportunities and
motivations to cheat than in preschool; Young children believe that it is
wrong, but could be acceptable depending on the task; Do not believe that it is
common; Hard to resist when others suggest breaking rules; Need for approval is
related to cheating; Boys cheat more.
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Academic cheating begins to set in
at the junior high level.
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Research about cheating among
middle school children (Ages 12-14) has shown that: There is increased
motivation to cheat because there is more emphasis on grades; Even those
students who say it is wrong, cheat; If the goal is to get a good grade, they
will cheat.
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According to one recent survey of
middle schoolers, 2/3 of respondents reported cheating on exams, while 9/10
reported copying another's homework.
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According to the 1998 poll of Who's
Who Among American High School Students, 80% of the country's best students
cheated to get to the top of their class. More than half the students surveyed
said they don't think cheating is a big deal - and most did not get
caught.
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According to surveys conducted by
The Josephson Institute of Ethics among 20,000 middle and high school students,
64% of high school students admitted to cheating in 1996. That number jumped to
70% in 1998.
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Research about cheating among
college students has shown the following to be the primary reasons for
cheating: Campus norm; No honor code; Penalties not severe; Faculty support of
academic integrity policies is low; Little chance of being caught; Incidence is
higher at larger, less selective institutions.
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Additional influencers include:
Others doing it; Faculty member doesn't seem to care; Required course; No
stated rules or rules are unclear; Heavy workload.
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Profile of college students more
likely to cheat: Business or Engineering majors; Those whose future plans
include business; Men self-report cheating more than woman; Fraternity and
Sorority members; Younger students; Students with lower GPA's or those at the
very top.
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Cheating is seen by many students
as a means to a profitable end.
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Cheating does not end at
graduation. For example, resume fraud is a serious issue for employers
concerned about the level of integrity of new employees.
