Causes of Cheating by College Students
Causes of Cheating by College Students
The changes and demands of the education system today, is forcing the students at the college level to produce quality in their assignments and class participation. The course content of the students is getting harder with the passage of time and the demands of the universities and the colleges are increasing in relation to the assignments. Moreover, the examination standards have increased all over the world which is increasing the pressure of exams and the good grades. Therefore, in these circumstances, the students who are not capable of performing according to the standards of the college and university are using unethical and unfair methods in submitting their assignments and passing the exams. Therefore, following are the three main reasons or causes of cheating by college students. (Buchmann, 2014)
Firstly, there is a pressure from the parents and the teachers regarding the performance of the student. The student’s approach to the education has become career oriented and performance oriented as compared to adapting the knowledge to perform duties in the practical field. Therefore, this approach of student which forces them to adopt the psychology of ‘to excel at any cost’ is leading them to cheating in exams, class assessment quizzes and their home assignments. Therefore, it is very important for the students, their parents and the teachers focus on the learning and skill development instead of performing well at college. (Buchmann, 2014)
Secondly, there are certain external factors which force students to cheat in college. For example, if the student is doing any part time job to meet his college expenses, then it is highly probable that the student will copy the assignments and use unfair methods in the examination to pass the exams. Similarly, the most of the scholarships are performance based and the needy students cheat to qualify for the scholarships. Another external reason of cheating in college is that the teachers or professors at the college arrange surprise test and a bulky assignment which reduces the overall GPA of the students. Therefore, in these circumstances, it is very important for the college administration to manage the workload on the students and maintain the proper motivation level of the students. Moreover, it is the responsibility of the parents to motivate their children towards study in a positive way. Any excessive pressure or demands from the parents can force their children to cheat in the college. (Kennedy)
Thirdly, it is in a view that any opportunity for a student to use unfair means in the college to pass the examination is used by the student. The students today feel that it is fair to cheat in the examination if it is easy to cheat. This mental approach of the students shows that the students don’t take cheating as an unethical issue. For example, helping the fellow students in the assignment and examinations, their loyalty with their group members and any unexpected opportunity arise during the examination is used to perform cheating in the college. For example, if the instructor left the examination hall for a few minutes, then any student can use this opportunity to cheat in an examination. Similarly, if another student is not covering his answer sheet properly, then any student can see the answer sheet of that student. However, the main reason for cheating the college these days is that the students don’t attend their classes regularly. (Wood)
References
Buchmann, B. (2014, April 22). Cheating In College: Where It Happens, Why Students Do It
and How to Stop It. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/uloop/cheating-in-college-where_b_4826136.html
Kennedy, R. (n.d.). 3 Top Reasons Why Students Cheat. Retrieved September 30, 2014, from
http://privateschool.about.com/cs/forteachers/a/cheating_2.htm
Wood, R. (n.d.). What Are the Causes of Cheating in College? Retrieved September 30, 2014,
