Cheating in Class
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Comment| Wednesday, October 17th, 2007 | Karen Savage, Emily Halevy | CWK Producers |
“'I want you to make the right decision. I want you to do the fair thing. I want you to do the honest thing and that means so much more to me than any grade you might get.' [Parents] have to reinforce that all the time.”
– Scoot Dimon, assistant headmaster for student life at Westminster Schools
The latest survey of children reinforces what several other studies have said in recent years: cheating among high school students is an epidemic.
“Lots of people cheat,” says Jessica, 15.
“You don’t have time to do all your work, so you have to end up cheating or just copying someone’s homework or something,” says Alex, 17.
“A lot of times kids don’t see much of a choice,” says Ealon, 17.
According to a study from Duke University, 75 percent of high school students admit to cheating; 90 percent admit to copying someone else’s homework. One reason, experts say, is college.
“The pressure to get into college in the United States these days is unbelievable,” says Scoot Dimon, assistant headmaster for student life at Westminster Schools.
What’s more, according to one study, less than 2 percent of cheaters ever get caught.
“In the age of the Internet it seems so easy to cheat now,” says Dimon. “Nobody’s looking at you. There are no teachers or parents looking over your shoulder. You also get the feeling, if you’re a 13- or 14-year-old, that nobody could ever find out or that nobody ever will find out. So [kids think], why not cheat?” says Dimon.
He says that’s why parents need to repeat their values and expectations over and over to their kids.
“’I want you to make the right decision. I want you to do the fair thing. I want you to do the honest thing and that means so much more to me than any grade you might get.’ You’ve got to reinforce that not just once in 7th grade and once in 10th grade, but all the time,” says Dimon.
“I personally try not to cheat at all, for the fact that I like to be able to say that I made something for myself, and I tried as hard as I wanted to or could,” says Ealon, 17.
Tips for Parents
- Cheating is when a person misleads, deceives or acts dishonestly on purpose. For kids, cheating may happen at school, at home or while playing a sport. (Nemours Foundation)
- At school, in addition to cheating on a test, a student might cheat by stealing someone else's idea for a science project or by copying a book report off the Internet and turning it in as if it's his or her original work. Copying someone else's words or work and saying it is yours is a type of cheating called plagiarizing. (Nemours Foundation)
- Cheating can become a habit; but like other bad habits, a child can always decide to act better and make better choices. It might help to talk the problem over with a parent, teacher or counselor. Choosing to play fair and be honest again can help a child feel relieved and proud. (Nemours Foundation)
- Not all factors are under an instructor's control, but there are specific steps teachers can take to prevent academic dishonesty: (UC Berkeley)
- Inform students of academic standards for scholarship and conduct.
- Explain how cheating harms students and describe school rules and sanctions.
- Minimize the opportunities for cheating and plagiarism by checking reports against the Internet, observing students during test taking, comparing papers.
- Take visible actions to detect dishonesty so that students know you will not tolerate cheating. Honest students will appreciate knowing that you care enough about academic integrity to take precautions.
- If cheating occurs, respond swiftly with disciplinary measures and formal action.
References
- Nemours Foundation
- UC Berkeley
