Individual assignments and academic dishonesty — Exploring the learning Conundrum

A survey of university business professors¹ focused on their use of individual assignments in courses and their views on cheating and its impact on student learning. Based on responses from 456 professors (37% response rate) from Ontario, Canada. it was concluded that most facult² believe that individual assignments are effective learning tools and that cheating on these assignments is a serious offence. They believe that cheating occurs widely, but continue to use these assessments, with some alterations, to ensure that students obtain learning benefits. The survey findings varied across disciplines and tenure status. A framework is proposed to explain the faculty perspective and the outcomes that professors experience. The adjustments they make to individual assignments are influenced by multiple factors that are internal (university policies and regulations) and external (internet usage) to the university. The discussion centres on the three stakeholders — faculty, students and administration — the need for culture change, and the role of honor codes in controlling cheating and supporting a learning environment.     

基于计划行为理论的高职学生考试舞弊行为分析

采用分层整群抽样的方法,对杭州下沙高教园区的某高职院校抽取280名在校学生,采用杜金等人根据计划行为理论编制的大学生考试作弊行为意向问卷,进行高职学生考试舞弊行为的调查。调查数据以相关关系和逐步同归分析等数据统计方法进行分析,探讨高职学生考试舞弊行为及其影响因素。     

美国大学生学术欺骗行为及其对策研究

大学生的学术欺骗行为可分为考试欺骗和书面作业欺骗。美国大学生的学术欺骗行为比较普遍,但建立荣誉准则制度的高校发生学术欺骗的百分比明显偏低。学生们认为,对于不同的欺骗行为应给予不同程度的惩罚。影响美国大学生的学术欺骗行为的因素可以分为学生个体特征因素、态度/信仰因素、行为因素和外部因素等。高校可以采用建立荣誉准则制度、重视学生的参与等对策来减少大学生的学术欺骗行为。     

Understanding Student Cheating and What Educators can do About it

Abstract. This article reviews the empirical evidence on college student cheating and places it in a context that combines economic theories of benefit/cost analysis and unobservable behavior with social network analysis of how widespread rule breaking can develop in an organization. The implications are that students cheat because the benefit/cost tradeoff favors cheating; that the problem of unobservable behavior can be substantially mitigated by promoting academic integrity as the social norm; and that many factors that have contributed to the development of more and stronger relationships between college students have helped to promote cheating. The article makes ten specific recommendations for educators.     

Cheating Behaviors among Undergraduate College Students: Results from a Factorial Survey

Using a factorial survey administered to college students at two Universities, this study examines students’ tendencies to engage in academic misconduct. The relation of strain, self-control, and deterrence theories to likelihood of cheating are further explored. The results suggest that increasing the severity of the punishment for cheating does not deter academic misconduct; however, several variables indicating an increased certainty of being caught did decrease the likelihood of cheating behaviors. Only the strain variables that indicated a student had an ill family member or that the student found the course difficult significantly increased academic misconduct. Although self-control did not have a direct effect on cheating it indirectly affected cheating behaviors through students’ perceptions of getting caught and their perception of wrongfulness of the cheating behavior. Policy and future research implications of the findings are further discussed.     

大学生考试作弊行为变化的一般过程及影响因素概论

大学生考试作弊的本质是有意识的人的实践行为.行为的产生和发展是有其内在规律可循的.深入把握学生作弊的行为规律和影响因素是有效防治作弊的前提基础.作弊行为产生一般而言可分为考试期望形成、作弊意识形成、考试作弊策划和准备、实施作弊行为前的权衡、作弊行为实施以及作弊结果对价值观念影响等六个阶段.在各个阶段中,学生思想、行为和行为决策都是在各种主客观因素的综合影响下产生变化的.     

Faculty responses to academic dishonesty: The influence of student honor codes

Cheating among college students has generally been studied from a student perspective. The research discussed here looks at student cheating from a faculty perspective. Utilizing the responses of 789 faculty members at 16 institutions located throughout the United States, it examines typical faculty responses to incidents of student cheating and how the presence of a student honor code influences faculty responses. These findings are compared to student perspectives on how faculty address incidents of cheating using data collected from over 3,000 students at the same 16 institutions in an earlier phase of this research project.     

Does authentic assessment assure academic integrity? Evidence from contract cheating data

ABSTRACT

Contract cheating occurs when a student outsources their assessment to a third party, regardless of the third party’s relationship with the student, or whether money is exchanged. In higher education, there is a widespread belief that assessment design is a solution to the problem of contract cheating and that authentic assessment tasks are particularly effective. This research analysed two datasets – 221 assignment orders placed on academic custom writing websites and 198 assessment tasks in which contract cheating was detected – to investigate if authentic assessment can assure academic integrity. The authenticity of assessments was determined using five factors derived from the literature: frequency, fidelity, complexity, real-world impact and feed forward. Our analysis found that assessment tasks with no, some, or all of the five authenticity factors are routinely outsourced by students.     

影响大学生考试作弊行为的因素及干预策略

目的:分析大学生考试作弊相关影响因素,为降低考试作弊率提供科学决策依据。方法:采用自愿填写问卷调查表的方式,对600名来自浙江宁波三所高校的大学生进行问卷调查,并采用logistic回归模型分析不同因素对大学生作弊的影响。结果:“学习成绩”“年级”“教学质量”“作弊被抓概率”“作弊惩罚力度”对大学生考试作弊率没有影响,“性别”“对作弊的态度”“效仿作弊情况”对考试作弊率影响显著。结论:为了降低大学生考试作弊率,学校应积极对监考老师进行相关培训,大力加强对大学生的思想品德教育。     

大学生考试作弊现象分析及应对

对大学生的考试作弊现象进行了深入分析,其主要原因有社会不良风气,教育、教学观念的相对滞后,不尽完善的评价体系,师资力量不足,学生自身心理因素,同时提出了加强学生的诚信教育,适量、适时、适宜进行扩招,建立科学合理的大学生学习评价体系,加强监考力度的应对方案。     

Investigating Differences in Cheating Behaviours of IT Undergraduate and Graduate Students: The maturity and motivation factors

Within the School of Computer Science and Software Engineering of Monash University concerns have been raised about the prevalence of cheating amongst the IT students. Many isolated reports from staff of different cheating incidents collectively present a view of a problem that is widespread and multifaceted. Although indications are that these practices exist across all year levels in both undergraduate and graduate programmes, the actual extent of the problem, and whether any particular groups of students are more inclined to cheating behaviours, is difficult to gauge. Many studies have investigated undergraduate cheating; however, there have been very few studies of graduate students. Furthermore, there is a scarcity of studies of the cheating behaviour of information technology students. In some reporting of student cheating there is a tendency to take a general view of the problem, and preventative or educative measures to address this problem do not differentiate between undergraduate and graduate students. It is of concern that strategies that do not focus on attitudes or behaviours that are exhibited by a particular group are not as effective as they could be. The results of the study reported here show that there are differences between the undergraduate and graduate IT students in regard to their attitudes towards cheating and practice of cheating. The study hypothesises a relationship between maturity and motivation, and cheating behaviour. The possible reasons for this are explored and implications for the design of future education programmes are presented.     

I will pay someone to do my assignment: an analysis of market demand for contract cheating services on twitter

Abstract

Contract cheating providers exist as businesses with a single shared intention, to profit on a student’s inability to fulfil academic requirements for themselves. For contract cheating providers to make money, the correct market conditions are required. First, providers need to be able to offer the expertise that students request. Second, students need to be financially able to pay for specialist support across a diverse range of different areas. If students are unable to meet the price or require expertise that providers do not offer, the transaction is not going to be completed. Therefore, an examination of the demand-side of the contract cheating process in terms of subject matter expertise and the price of offers is important. The research presented in this paper is based on the analysis of 1579 Twitter messages (tweets) that contract cheating providers engaged with. The study aims to examine price variation and the type of assignments students seek to outsource. For typical requests such as essay writing, students are shown to be willing to pay $33.32 per 1000 words. Some services carry a premium, particularly where a student wishes to hire an impersonator to take an examination for them. The student demand for paid help is seen to be highest in the mathematics field, suggesting that students feel under-equipped and under-supported in this area. The paper concludes by discussing further implications of this research and strategies for the minimisation of contract cheating.     

高职院校学生考试作弊情况的回归分析——以徐州工业职业技术学院为例

考风建设历来是高职院校教学管理中的一项重要内容。本文以考试作弊次数为自变量,以学生基本情况、中学时考试作弊情况加上计划行为理论提出的作弊道德观、作弊态度、作弊收益与代价估计、感受压力、学校政策共7个模块20个项目的因变量进行回归分析,并根据回归结果提出相应的建议。     

Cheating behavior among students of four Moscow institutes

This paper reports the results of the first survey conducted in Moscow on student cheating behavior in December of 1991. I propose that cheating, like many other forms of deviant behavior, can be explained as rooted in the social structure. I propose a way of combining Merton's structural approach with the learning theory of deviant behavior. Merton's typology of individual adaptation is extended to a case where there is a difference between official and unofficial goals and means. I use the theory of neutralization to understand how students justified cheating in such social conditions. The survey revealed that an overwhelming majority of students cheat, and that students justify cheating by saying that it is the fault of the education system. In addition my results suggest that there was a linkage between the macro structure of Soviet society (including its educational system) and cheating behavior among students. The structure of the Soviet system provided opportunities and motivation to cheat together with the rationale to justify cheating. The changes which were introduced with Perestroika only worsened the situation by blurring the notions of appropriate and deviant behavior in many spheres of life. The implications for the present changes going on in Russia are discussed.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Eastern Sociological Society Meeting (Boston, March 1993). I am grateful for the helpful comments of Jerry A. Jacobs, Ewa Morawska, Harold Bershady and Paul Wolpe.     

Contract cheating in Australian higher education: a comparison of non-university higher education providers and universities

Abstract

This article reports on one aspect of a nationally funded research project on contract cheating in Australian higher education. The project explored students' and educators’ experiences of contract cheating, and the contextual factors that may influence it. This article reports the key findings from non-university higher education providers (NUHEPs). It compares survey responses from 961 students and 91 educators at four NUHEPs with previously reported findings from eight universities (14,086 students and 1,147 staff). NUHEP and university students report engaging in contract cheating in similar ways. However, while NUHEP educators spend more time teaching academic literacies and discussing contract cheating, NUHEP students are 12 times more likely than university students to report use of a professional academic writing service. Both NUHEP and university educators require systematic professional development regarding the relationship between the teaching and learning environment and students’ contract cheating behaviour. NUHEPs need to be cognisant of students’ vulnerability to commercial contract cheating services, and ensure they have access to timely academic and social support.     

College cheating: Ten years later

In this 10-year follow-up study of student cheating, we surveyed 474 university students to (1) evaluate the extent of cheating; (2) assess attitudes toward cheating; (3) identify variables that discriminate between cheaters and noncheaters; (4) assess the relative effectiveness of various deterrents to cheating; and (5) examine changes in cheating attitudes and behaviors from 1984 to 1994. Most students (61.2%) reported cheating in 1994, up significantly from 54.1% in 1984 (Haines et al., 1986). Despite this increased cheating, students in 1994 were significantly less likely than in 1984 to neutralize (rationalize) their cheating. Ten variables that discriminated between cheaters and noncheaters in 1984 did so again in 1994, and 12 additional discriminating variables were identified. A principal components analysis of these 22 variables indicated that, compared to noncheaters, cheaters are (1) less mature; (2) less reactive to observed cheating; (3) less deterred by social stigma and guilt and more likely to neutralize cheating; (4) less personally invested in their education; and (5) more likely to be receiving scholarships, but doing less well in school. Both cheaters and noncheaters rated embarrassment and fear of punishment as the strongest deterrents to cheating; disapproval of one's friends was ranked as the least effective deterrent by both groups.     

论大学生诚信缺失问题及其对策

诚信自古是人们推崇的美德。目前,高等学校中比较普遍地存在着大学生的诚信缺失问题,突出地表现在考试作弊、拖欠费用、不按时还贷和其他日常行为等方面。这些现象与整个社会的道德风尚、信用状况有密切关系。大学生的可塑性极大,各高校要加强诚信教育,用法律、道德约束大学生的诚信缺失行为。     

Faculty and student perceptions on college cheating: evidence from Turkey

Investigation of academic dishonesty has increased markedly in the past two decades; however, the body of research offers inconclusive evidence for many variables. This study examines faculty and student perceptions of in‐class and out‐of‐class cheating behaviours and provides contextual evidence for the prevalence of assessment practices used. Faculty and students differed only slightly in their attitudes toward collegiate cheating and their views on possible reasons for it. We found that the prevalence of teaching and assessment types used in student grading is significantly correlated with perceptions of out‐of‐class cheating, but not with out‐of‐class cheating behaviours. Students with less experience in out‐of‐class assessment display a less ethical attitude toward out‐of‐class cheating.     

Collusion among Accounting Students: Data Visualization and Topic Modeling of Student Interviews

Although classroom cheating violates academic standards of behavior, it occurs frequently. Although the research on cheating is extensive, few researchers have interviewed students directly involved in cheating behaviors. We explore interview responses gathered from a cohort of graduate accounting students, some of whom colluded on an assignment, whereas others did not. We use Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), a powerful text mining algorithm, as our primary tool to explore the underlying topical structure of the interviews and to demarcate subtle differences among students’ reactions to and explanations of their experience. Because LDA does not impose or require a priori theories, we use it to provide ideas for future research rather than to test extant theories about classroom collusion. We identify five primary topics that emerged from the accounting students’ reflections: (1) general course context (including honor code), (2) the rigor of the assignment, (3) student teams as support mechanisms, (4) the perceived repercussions of cheating (colluding), and (5) personality differences between the tax and audit track students. We find subtle language differences between colluders and noncolluders. Colluders considered the nature of the assignment and the difference between tax and audit majors more significant than noncolluders did. Additionally, the role of teams and the general institutional context were somewhat less relevant for colluders than for noncolluders. We conclude by exploring ethical and pedagogical implications of structuring courses as heavily team based for teaching and future research purposes.     

Faculty and peer influences on academic integrity: college cheating in Romania

The purpose of this research was to examine student perceptions of academic integrity among faculty and peers at a sample of public universities in Romania. The study explores the factors that influence academic dishonesty among college students and compares the relative importance of faculty influences and peer influences on students’ intent to cheat. The study differs from the existing literature on academic integrity in that it examines the degree to which student cheating in college is influenced by the quality and relevance of instruction and the academic dishonesty of instructors and peers.