WHY STUDENTS CHEAT—AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT

A teacher seeks answers from researchers and psychologists.

By Andrew Simmons
April 27, 2018

“Why did you cheat in high school?” I posed the question to a dozen former
students.

“I wanted good grades and I didn’t want to work,” said Sonya,  who graduates
from college in June. [The students’ names in this article have been changed to
protect their privacy. My current students were less candid than Sonya. To
excuse her plagiarized Cannery Row essay, Erin, a ninth-grader with straight
As, complained vaguely and unconvincingly of overwhelming stress. When he
was caught copying a review of the documentary  Hypernormalism, Jeremy, a
senior, stood by his “hard work” and said my accusation hurt his feelings.

Cases like the much-publicized  (and enduring ) 2012 cheating scandal at high-

achieving Stuyvesant High School in New York City confirm that academic
dishonesty is rampant and touches even the most prestigious of schools. The
data confirms this as well. A 2012 Josephson Institute’s Center for Youth
Ethics report  revealed that more than half of high school students admitted to
cheating on a test, while 74 percent reported copying their friends’ homework.
And a survey of 70,000 high school students  across the United States between
2002 and 2015 found that 58 percent had plagiarized papers, while 95 percent
admitted to cheating in some capacity.

So why do students cheat—and how do we stop them?

According to researchers and psychologists, the real reasons vary just

as much as my students’ explanations. But educators can still learn to identify
motivations for student cheating and think critically about solutions to keep
even the most audacious cheaters in their classrooms from doing it again.
 Academic Cheating Statistics Say There’s Lots of Work to Do

SEPTEMBER 25 , 20 1 9   6 MIN S R EAD

You may have seen dozens of them lately. Cases of contract cheating and the
recent college scam with celebs involved are still making the headlines. Eventually, they
may sidetrack your attention. But do they have anything to do with academic cheating in
higher school or university? What started once with cheating on exams may turn into
the long-lasting habit of cutting corners.

The pressure to obtain better grades lessens the value of academic performance. As an
outcome, you have to double the effort in helping students focus on learning itself.

Shortcutting is tempting. But this shouldn’t put all students under suspicion. There is
something that inclines them to think that cheating is inevitable.

The statistics collected from recent and most large-scale surveys can reveal how
common academic dishonesty is today.

So, let’s cut to the chase.

Academic Dishonesty Surveys in the U.S. and the UK

When it comes to cheating detection, the most comprehensive survey that springs to
mind is that of Dr. Donald McCabe and The International Center for Academic Integrity.
It had been conducted throughout 12 years (2002-2015) across 24 high schools in the
U.S.
More than 70,000 students both graduates and undergraduates took part in it. And the
results obtained were jaw-dropping, as 95% of the surveyed students admitted to
cheating on a test and homework, or committing plagiarism.

Eric M. Anderman, a renowned Professor and Head of the Department of Educational

Studies at the Ohio State University, has also devoted much time to the academic
cheating phenomenon. For over 20 years now, he has been examining the why and the
how of students’ cheating. In one of the recent studies published in 2017, Anderman
surveyed 400 students. Most of them agreed that it’s permissible to cheat in classes
they don’t like much.

Another anonymous study carried out by Lindale High School (LHS) provides more up-
to-date numbers with 205 students surveyed. 65.7% of them confessed to having
cheated at least once, while 85.9% assured they saw other students cheat.

Interestingly, students also shared their perceptions of academic cheating and when it
could be acceptable:
For a large part of the LHS students, grades prevailed and justified the choice of the
wrong methods. They also admitted that in 44.4% of cases teachers failed to detect
cheating.

The UK’s Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) also provide
annual updates on the number of academic dishonesty cases detected.

Thus, Gov.uk released a curious statistic on school and college malpractice registered

during GCSE, AS and A level examinations in 2018. Major academic integrity breaches
involved unauthorized usage of materials and mobile phones as well as failure to stick
to exam board guidelines by instructors. Here are the key findings:
2,735 number of penalties issued to students in 2018 (the same as in 2017):

FACTORS AFFECTING THE PROBABILITY OF ACADEMIC CHEATING

SCHOOL STUDENTS

Author links open overlay panel EbrahimKhodaiea1AliMoghadamzadehbKeyvanSalehic

Show more

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.11.401

Academic cheating is an almost new subject in the field of education in Iran and its

consequences are not visible. Cheating is known as an immoral activity in the academic
environment to learn (Mccabe & Derinan, 1999). In other countries, in the field of
academic cheating have been many researches, indicating that important factors in the
fraudulent behaviour of students are involved. Meanwhile, between cheating in schools
and professional behaviour in the workplace is a close relationship despite of these
evidences, there aren’t sufficient field researches which identify the main factors of
Cheating in schools. The purpose of this study is to identify Factors affecting the
probability of academic cheating school students in Tehran. Twenty-fold from all regions
sampled in Tehran that the method is a class type and groups relatively time is
selected. The sample size is approximately 336 students. Results show that social and
economic status, a commitment to discipline and rules and also history of cheating a
significant relationship are related with the Possibility of cheating. According to the
Regression logistic analysis, Factors like education level, age, quantitative study and
education of father have a very important role in motivation of cheating. According to the
results reported in 95% of students cheated on a test during the school year confessed,
the amounts of people who have managed to cheat 70% have been reported.
Understanding the reasons for cheating can be direct responses to people, hard
materials, and teacher indifferences and at the end of a serious failure to lack of
students study noted. More students who have a history of possible cheating committed
fraud in the future for them are more than others.
David L. Jaffe, MS
Lathrop Library Classroom 282
Tuesdays & Thursdays from 4:30pm to 5:5

ACADEMIC CHEATING FACT SHEET

Notes: This document is a re-posting of the Academic Cheating Fact Sheet authored by

the Educational Testing Service and the Ad Council's Campaign to Discourage
Academic Cheating.

Stanford's official policies related to this topic are handled by the Office of Community
Standards. Browse to their webpages for official information on the Honor
Code and Plagiarism.

 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.
 Statistics show that cheating among high school students has risen dramatically
during the past 50 years.
 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.
 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.
 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.
 Grades, rather than education, have become the major focus of many students.
 Fewer college officials (35%) believe that cheating is a problem, in this country
than do members of the public (41%).
 High school students are less likely than younger test takers to report cheaters,
because it would be "tattling" or "ratting out a friend."
 Many students feel that their individual honesty in academic endeavors will not
affect anyone else.
 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.
 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.
 In most cases cheaters don't get caught. If caught, they seldom are punished
severely, if at all.
  Cheating increases due to pressure for high grades.
 Math and Science are the courses in which cheating most often occurs.
 Computers can make cheating easier than ever before. For example, students
can download term papers from the world wide web.
 "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."
 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.
 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.
 Academic cheating begins to set in at the junior high level.
 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.
 According to one recent survey of middle schoolers, 2/3 of respondents reported
cheating on exams, while 9/10 reported copying another's homework.
 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.
 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.
 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.
 Additional influencers include: Others doing it; Faculty member doesn't seem to
care; Required course; No stated rules or rules are unclear; Heavy workload.
 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.
 Cheating is seen by many students as a means to a profitable end.
 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.

Links:
Plagiarism and Paraphrasing
 College Guide to Preventing Plagiarism
Understanding & Preventing Plagiarism - Strategies & Resources for Students and
Teachers

Cheating: Preventing and Dealing with Academic Dishonesty

Don McBurney
TAGS:
 TEACHING
 TEACHING TIPS
Someday it will happen to you. A student will turn in such an excellent, well-written
paper that you seriously doubt its authenticity. Or, during a test, you will look up and find
a student copying from another student. The sinking feeling that immediately weighs in
on you could be overwhelming as you realize you must decide how to deal with a
suspected or actual case of cheating.

If it hasn’t happened to you yet, either you are new at the game, you have your head in
the sand, or you have been incredibly lucky. Or, perhaps you have created a situation in
which cheating is unlikely. Studies show that about 40 percent of students cheat in a
given term.

An Ounce of Prevention
Communicate Policies on Cheating
My institution requests all instructors to state their policy on cheating in the syllabus.
Believe it or not, students have argued that they should not be punished for cheating
because they were never told they couldn’t do it. State clearly when students may
cooperate and when they must work independently. Students who have been
encouraged to use programmable calculators in math courses may naturally expect that
they can use them in your class. (Many calculators permit considerable amounts
of text to be stored in their memories. Either design the test so that calculators are not
necessary, or insist that they push the erase button to delete text memory.)
Relate With Your Students: Avoid Adversarial Relationships
Students may cheat because they feel alienated from the system. Let your students
know that you respect them and expect the best from them. I believe students are less
likely to cheat if they feel they know and like the instructor. Learning and using students’
names in class may have a beneficial side effect of reducing cheating.

Teach Students What Plagiarism Is So They Can Avoid Doing It

The nature of cheating depends on the assignment. Written assignments run the risk of
plagiarism. Some instructors may be surprised to learn that students sometimes
plagiarize unintentionally because they do not know enough about what constitutes
scholarship. Before giving written assignments, it is a good idea to discuss how to credit
other people’s work. Some departments promulgate written guidelines on plagiarism.
We will discuss later what to do when you suspect cheating. But one technique that is
particularly suited to written assignments is to ask a student whom you suspect of
plagiarism to explain something in the paper in other words. More sophisticated
techniques include blanking out key words and asking the student to fill in the spaces.

Structure Writing Assignments So Students Cannot Use Others’ Work

Having informed students what plagiarism is, you should structure the timing of the
assignment in such a way that plagiarism becomes less likely. Several weeks before the
final paper is due ask the students for a statement of their topic. Next ask for a
preliminary list of references that they intend to consult. Then have them turn in a
tentative outline. Any changes you may suggest at these stages will make it more
difficult for them to turn in a paper previously prepared by someone else. The only clear
case of plagiarism I have experienced occurred with a student who had missed several
weeks of class and skipped these stages. Your guidelines should suggest that they
keep all drafts of their work, notes, printouts of computer searches, etc. They should
photocopy the first page of every article or book cited in their reference list. This way
they can’t cite papers they haven’t at least laid eyes on. Some faculty also inform
students that they keep a record of all papers written, or the papers themselves, for the
preceding five years.

Take Control of the Test Situation

Arrange the classroom situation to suit the nature of the test. You may want students to
sit in every other seat, take assigned seats to break up groups of would-be cheaters, or
leave the front row open for latecomers, etc. Some instructors number all tests and
have students leave completed tests face down on the desk. Then they may be picked
up in order, and papers of suspected cheaters can be compared for similarities. (Be
aware that papers can be similar if students study together. But hearing boards that
review suspected cases of cheating can be skeptical of purely statistical evidence.)

I require students to reverse baseball caps because the bill makes it harder for you to
monitor their gaze. (I do not ask for their removal: A student may be taking
chemotherapy, or just having a bad hair day.)

You should resist their complaints to the contrary and efforts to put you on the
defensive. You do not need to explain why they should follow your instructions. You
may instruct a student who is behaving suspiciously to sit elsewhere without making an
accusation or justifying yourself.

Opinions vary on how faculty members should dress. But) make a point to dress in a
businesslike manner on test day because I believe it is important to convey to students
that they should take the situation seriously and the professor’s appearance can make
the point without making them uncomfortable.

How you manage the testing situation depends on factors such as the type of test, class
size and whether you reuse the same test for different classes or across semesters.
Because I seldom reuse tests, for example, I generally do not need to count the
booklets as) pass them out, nor do I need to recover them. But once a student has left
the room, I do not permit that student to reenter. In large classes, I use alternate forms
of the exam (e.g., same items appear in three different orders) so that a student looking
at a classmate’s answer sheet is not helped by doing so. Simply changing the order of
pages is not nearly as effective as scrambling items within pages.

If your class is large enough that you don’t know all students, require them to show
picture ID and sign their test (as well as print their name on the test). Be sure to have
additional proctors in large classes. I try to have help in classes larger than 75, about
one for every additional 100 students.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/why-students-cheat-and-what-do-about-it
https://unicheck.com/blog/academic-cheating-statistics/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042811028680
https://web.stanford.edu/class/engr110/cheating.html
https://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/cheating-preventing-and-dealing-with-
academic-dishonesty