Why people do academic cheating
Why people do academic cheating
Nowadays, academic cheating has become a prevalent phenomenon, and this behavior includes activities ranging from turning in the same paper in more than one class, to plagiarism, to copying from another student’s test and so on. The factors that play a major role in this phenomenon are listed as follows: the inability to reach an agreement on what constitutes academic cheating, the benefits to conduct academic cheating, and the probability to be caught in academic cheating. These factors, more often than not, bring harmful effects both on the students themselves and on academic exploration.
The first reason that students commit the fallacy of academic cheating is that they cannot distinguish what the conceived cheating is and what is not. One vivid situation one can imagine is when a student submits a paper that was previously submitted for another course. Is it cheating because the student does not complete the assignment of writing the paper for the course, or is it not cheating because it is his or her own work? In this case, it seems that it is the school’s responsibility to make it clear and advertise what kinds of behavior comprise academic cheating.
Another reason seems like after weighing up the benefits from academic cheating, students are inclined to take a risk in academic cheating. Sometimes, when students are lazy or busy on their personal affairs, academic cheating for them is a shortcut to complete study task. Another case may be from the thought that higher grades will bring a bright future. For example, Hill and Kochendorfer (1969) demonstrate that higher grades may lead to prestigious academic awards and recognitions, superior financial aid options, entrance to better graduate schools, and enhanced employment opportunities. In this case, it is necessary for students to know what integrity is and what the purpose of education is.
The last factor contributes to the academic cheating is the opinion that the
Nowadays, academic cheating has become a prevalent phenomenon, and this behavior includes activities ranging from turning in the same paper in more than one class, to plagiarism, to copying from another student’s test and so on. The factors that play a major role in this phenomenon are listed as follows: the inability to reach an agreement on what constitutes academic cheating, the benefits to conduct academic cheating, and the probability to be caught in academic cheating. These factors, more often than not, bring harmful effects both on the students themselves and on academic exploration.
The first reason that students commit the fallacy of academic cheating is that they cannot distinguish what the conceived cheating is and what is not. One vivid situation one can imagine is when a student submits a paper that was previously submitted for another course. Is it cheating because the student does not complete the assignment of writing the paper for the course, or is it not cheating because it is his or her own work? In this case, it seems that it is the school’s responsibility to make it clear and advertise what kinds of behavior comprise academic cheating.
Another reason seems like after weighing up the benefits from academic cheating, students are inclined to take a risk in academic cheating. Sometimes, when students are lazy or busy on their personal affairs, academic cheating for them is a shortcut to complete study task. Another case may be from the thought that higher grades will bring a bright future. For example, Hill and Kochendorfer (1969) demonstrate that higher grades may lead to prestigious academic awards and recognitions, superior financial aid options, entrance to better graduate schools, and enhanced employment opportunities. In this case, it is necessary for students to know what integrity is and what the purpose of education is.
The last factor contributes to the academic cheating is the opinion that the
References: Kevin J. Shanahan, Christopher D. Hopkins, Les Carlson, and Mary Anne Raymond. “Student Identification Of Academic Cheating Typology And The Link To Shoplifting Motivation.” Marketing Education Review, vol. 23, no.2 (summer 2013), pp. 163-178. Arden Miller, Carol Shoptaugh, and Jessica Wooldridge. “Reasons Not to Cheat, Academic-Integrity Responsibility, and Frequency of Cheating.” The Journal of Experimental Education, 2011, 79, 169–184,