essay about cheating in school brainly

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories .

• Backchannel
• Newsletters
• WIRED Insider
• WIRED Consulting

Cevin Soling

Why I Think Students Should Cheat

You have been kidnapped and dragged off to a remote location where your abductors have tied you to a chair. One of your captors is seated in front of you. He holds up ten flash cards and informs you that he is going to ask you a series of questions and the answers are printed on the backs of the cards. He assures you that once he has finished asking these questions, you will be released. There is a catch, though. For every question you get wrong, he will signal his accomplice to cut off one of your fingers. As he begins to read the first question, you notice there is a mirror on the opposite wall where you can see the reflection of the text on the card. Because you have been taught that cheating is dishonest, you interrupt your kidnapper and let him know that you are able to read the card and that he must conceal them better so that you cannot inadvertently cheat. He adjusts himself accordingly and proceeds to ask you a series of dry and uninspired questions on topics that hold no interest for you, while his accomplice menacingly holds out a set of cutting pliers.

While cheating is technically wrong, everyone should cringe at this conception of morality because it fails to account for context. In this example, cheating is not only justified, it is necessary because it aids a helpless victim who has been involuntarily subjected to unreasonable conditions. Unfortunately, this kind of clarity is absent when it comes to compulsory education.

One of the most salient features of all public schools is the importance of grades. Because grades are the currency and sole commodity of schools, they are used both to motivate and punish. They are a major component of a student’s portfolio and have the potential to impact their future. Educators might try to stress the value of “learning” over grades, but that is a complete farce. When learning is not commensurately represented by grades, students rightly feel cheated by the system and become apathetic. To insist on valuing learning over grades is offensively disingenuous and hypocritical. It is akin to telling workers at McDonald’s that they should care more about doing their job than their salary.

Students have no input regarding how or what they learn, and they are alienated from the work they do at school. Except for a few rare assignments, students are not inspired by their work, and any personal attachment they could have is undermined by the fact that they must compromise their efforts to meet the demands and expectations of the person who grades their work.

It's important to bear in mind that students prepare for tests with the intention that they will retain the material just long enough to take the test and then forget most of what they learned soon afterwards. This completely undermines the purpose and value of testing. Advocates of testing who denigrate cheating conveniently fail to acknowledge this. Testing demands that students view knowledge as a disposable commodity that is only relevant when it is tested. This contributes to the process of devaluing education.

The benefits of cheating are obvious – improved grades in an environment where failure is not an opportunity for learning, but rather a badge of shame. When students do poorly on a test, there is no reason for students to review their responses because they will likely never be tested on the same thing ever again. The test itself is largely arbitrary and often not meaningful. Organizations such as FairTest are devoted to sharing research that exposes the problems of bad testing practices.

The main arguments against cheating in school are that it is unethical, promotes bad habits, and impacts self-esteem through the attainment of an unearned reward. None of these concerns are even remotely valid because none consider the environment. Children are routinely rounded up and forcibly placed in an institution where they are subjected to a hierarchy that places them at the bottom. Like the hostage, they are held captive even if they are not physically bound. They are deprived of any power over their own lives, including the ability to pursue their interests, and are subjected to a barrage of tests that have consequences for each wrong answer.

By Matt Kamen

By Carlton Reid

By Matt Simon

Maintaining ethics is part of an unwritten contract of being a willing participant in a community. Students placed in school against their will and routinely disrespected have no obligation to adhere to the ethical codes of their oppressors. Cheating is an act of resistance, and resistance against oppressive powers should be encouraged and celebrated, rather than deemed a “bad habit” or an unethical act. The concern regarding self-esteem that is highlighted by The Child Study Center as promoting the “worst damage,” lacks any scientific support whatsoever.

If students feel bad for cheating, it is because the environment has created a set of conditions where cheating is necessary and justifiable. For this same reason, many students are proud that they cheat. Cheating often requires creativity in terms of execution as well as ingenuity to avoid being caught. It also serves as a statement of disdain against an arbitrary and repressive institution. For these reasons, cheating can be a source for pride that boosts self-esteem. Given this construct, cheating is not simply something many students do; it is something all students in compulsory schools should do. Cheating is a moral imperative.

Punishing students for cheating is completely misguided. People should be most concerned about the student who does not cheat. They are the ones who appear to have internalized their oppression and might lack the necessary skills to rally and lobby against abuses of power that are perpetrated by governing bodies. Cheating should be recognized as the necessary and logical outcome of an arbitrary and oppressive institution. Punishing students who cheat is yet another abuse of autocratic power. In a healthy society, people ridicule and shame those who force children to endure the kind of environment that demands they must cheat.

Makena Kelly

Matt Burgess

Stephen Clark, Ars Technica

Scott Gilbertson

Medea Giordano

Eric Ravenscraft

Reece Rogers

The New York Times

The learning network | is cheating getting worse.

Is Cheating Getting Worse?

Questions about issues in the news for students 13 and older.

• See all Student Opinion »

A recent study shows that more students are cheating — and that many are cheating not just to survive, but to thrive. What have you observed about cheating at your school? If there seems to be more of it, why do you think that is?

In the article “Studies Find More Students Cheating, With High Achievers No Exception,” Richard Perez-Pena writes:

Large-scale cheating has been uncovered over the last year at some of the nation’s most competitive schools, like Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan, the Air Force Academy and, most recently, Harvard. Studies of student behavior and attitudes show that a majority of students violate standards of academic integrity to some degree, and that high achievers are just as likely to do it as others. Moreover, there is evidence that the problem has worsened over the last few decades. Experts say the reasons are relatively simple: Cheating has become easier and more widely tolerated, and both schools and parents have failed to give students strong, repetitive messages about what is allowed and what is prohibited. …“There have always been struggling students who cheat to survive,” said [Donald L. McCabe, a professor at the Rutgers University Business School, and a leading researcher on cheating], but more and more, there are students at the top who cheat to thrive.”

Students: Tell us what you have observed about cheating in your school. Do you think there is more of it than ever? If so, why? Do you agree with an expert quoted in this article that “Students are surprisingly unclear about what constitutes plagiarism or cheating”? What or who is to blame? Do you think cheating is always wrong? Why or why not?

Students 13 and older are invited to comment below. Please use only your first name. For privacy policy reasons, we will not publish student comments that include a last name.

Comments are no longer being accepted.

i think cheating is wrong because you don’t learn anything from it you just get it from some one else.

I do not think that there is any cheating at our school. I think this because all of the teachers have made it clear that there is zero tolerance for it. But I do think that cheating in America has hit an all time high.

In my school we don’t have much cheating because we are constantly reminded of it being wrong. I do agree that many students are unclear as to the meaning of plagiarism. I believe this is because many schools are not properly teaching their students about cheating and plagiarism are wrong and what the consequences for the actions would be. I do believe that cheating is wrong because when you cheat, you cant learn, and when you don’t learn you cannot successfully finish tests or exams which would affect your grade or even cause you to fail the course.

What I have observed about cheating in my school is that there is not a lot because we are very small compared to most high schools. We are like a family so it is easy to tell if someone cheated by copying a paper from someone else or took it off the internet. It is always wrong to cheat but that never completely stops anyone from doing it.

Students: Tell us what you have observed about cheating in your school. Do you think there is more of it than ever? If so, why? Do you agree with an expert quoted in this article that “Students are surprisingly unclear about what constitutes plagiarism or cheating”? What or who is to blame? Do you think cheating is always wrong? Why or why not? ______________________________________________ Cheating in schools is become a problem in my opinion. With the use of the internet students are able to have access to the websites where some homework assignments come from. There are thousands, maybe millions of sites just devoted to giving the answers. Cell phones are also a problem in the school environment, students can send each other texts of the tests or homework’s, they can give each other the test via email, Facebook, etc. the real problem though is plagiarism, it is becoming a problem that students don’t understand, they don’t get the severity of their actions. Using someone else’s work and calling it your own will get you thrown out of school or even ruin your reputation and chances at a good school.

Tell us what you have observed about cheating in your school. Do you think there is more of it than ever? If so, why? Do you agree with an expert quoted in this article that “Students are surprisingly unclear about what constitutes plagiarism or cheating”? What or who is to blame? Do you think cheating is always wrong? Why or why not?

Ever since I came into High school, I have been seeing less and less cheating going on around my classmates. I think because students from high school have matured, they have more responsibility in studying for tests and exams than when they were in middle school. I do not agree with the expert quoted in the article that we students do not know of plagarism or cheating because, students who do cheat and plagrizes documents know that what they are doing is wrong, yet they still do it. I believe it is the student who is to blame for cheating because, they are one-minded individuals who always have a choice in cheating or not cheating, but they still cheat for their benefit. I believe cheating is and always will be wrong because, a cheater does not gain the proper knowledge and experience from cheating.

In my school i haven’t really notice a lot of cheating. The cases that i have observed have been small mishap that only occurred because of a forgotten assignment. I wouldn’t say that there is more then ever but it is more conversational then ever. This is because of the up roar of cases happening at the same time. Plagiarism and cheating do relate and is understandably unclear to some people. Educators are a little to blame. Most types of cheating are wrong unless it is important to survival.

Cheating is a problem depending on how the school deals with it. The teachers are always reminding us what plagiarism is and how to do assighnments the right way. I think if a student is unclear of plagiarism and cheating is then the teachers werent clear or did not go over it as much as they should.

I have observed that my school is very strong and strict they do not tolerate cheating they want you too use your brain not somebody elses. I do not think cheating is a big deal in my school if it is then I’m sure it would be solved immediately.If the teacher hasn’t explained to them about what plagiarism is or cheating then it would be the teachers fault.Cheating is always wrong.

Cheating in my old school was moderate. I remember people doing homework for others in a certain class. For example: Girl 1 doesn’t understand social studies very well; so girl 2 would do girl 1’s homework. And girl 2 doesn’t understand math very well; well girl 1 will do girl 2’s homework every night. This is how cheating was in my old school.

At my school their was no cheating everyone was honest. No I do not agree that students are unclear. I think they know what the difference is but it so easy to do that they do it.The only person to blame is youself. You know that it is wrong but you do it anyway. Yes i do think that cheating is always wrong because you are using someone else’s ideas not your own. When the teacher askes you to right your oppion on something and you cheat and look off of someone else’s paper that is not our own oppion.

I have observed that cheating has become a big impact in many high school in this generation. Honesty, Cheating has increased more now because the lack of effort kids put into work. Kids are starting not to care what so ever. Yes i agree with an expert from the article that quoted “Students are surprisingly unclear about what constitutes plagiarism or cheating” because they don’t know how much trouble they can get in for simply copying one little paragraph from a different school. No one is necessarily to blame because a big majority of kids are being told the consequences of plagerism but they just simply don’t care. Cheating is always wrong.

In the school I currently go to, cheating doesn’t seem to be very common from what I see.

At the last few schools I have been to, however, cheating was really common. It wasn’t exactly to help you do better on tests or something like that, though. It was the “honor” that came with it.

You see, kids would cheat so they could brag about how they did something wrong and didn’t get caught, and then got good grades.

cheating is horible when u cheat your not doing your work so u dont know if u got better at something . cheating happened everyday at my old school they cheated on every thing they didnt actually do the work there selfs and that showed people that they did give any effort to try and thats not good if u dont understand the work dont cheat ask for help

there has not been much cheating at my school but at other schools ive gone to people cheat all the time and i think cheating is wrong becuase if u copie someone else u dont always know if there wrong

In my old school there has been a lot of cheating but they never got honer roll. So I think that thay did it to survive and not to thrive. But I am thinking that one person i know well might have but I am not that shore.

I believe that cheating is prevalent in most schools, and to this day there are still high ammounts of children sharing papers on buses or looking up answers online… Some kids try to secretly cheat and do their work under binders to trade papers with another student, and others might ask or talk in another language to discuss even test answers! I believe this could be stopped by more monitoring over classes and for more students to be sectioned out for their intellegence.

cheating has gotten bad over the past years. the people at my old school loves to cheat. they would cheat in front of the teachers. they wouldn’t do anything. i think cheating is wrong, people who cheat shouldn’t allow to past to the next grade. website that we should blame is wikipedia. why becuase it give the answer sometimes and the kids are to lazy to thinck of doing it on their own. i agreed with the expert quoter that some child don’t understand that cheating is wrong, they dont understand that cheating is not going to help them in life

In my old school, there was quite a lot of cheating. I actually saw it all the time on homework, tests, etc. I think there is way more cheating than ever. I think cheating is worse now because i have seen it much more than i used to in elementary school and even in the beginning of middle school. People cheat because they don’t study and they forget the answers. I do agree with the quote because maybe some students don’t know what plagiarism is and they think it is okay to do it. If students don’t know about it, than the teachers are to blame. But if the students know what it is and do it anyways, than the students are to blame. I think cheating is wrong. I think cheating is wrong because if it is not your own work, teachers don’t know what you can really do.

I haven’t seen cheating. I believe it’s always wrong. I don’t cheat and I never will.

In my school, I have observed that cheating is a constant occasion. It has progressively gotten worse in my opinion and I really don’t notice anything that will make it stop. There isn’t much regulation or consequence so that, in my opinion, is why it is just getting worse. I do not agree with the expert’s quote. I believe that teachers and parents do address the problem enough for students to understand it. They talk about it but the students are still making the choice to not follow the rules. They’re still cheating even though they DO know that it’s wrong. In this case I think it’s the students that are to blame. Parents and teachers are making as big of an attempt as they can but kids have just become so disobedient in the past few years that I’d blame them. No matter the situation or instance I do believe that cheating is 100% wrong. It is just like lying and lying is wrong too. I think that everyone should be honest. If a student needs help then they should ask for it. Lying and cheating is not how society should be so I do strongly believe that cheating is wrong.

At my school, there is cheating but it’s not on things that are big, important assignments. Usually it’s just on little worksheets and things like that. There does seem to be more of it coming about but I think it’s because either we are just getting lazier, or the work just seems to be coming on more. I don’t think there is more cheating than ever though, I think that the kids who have always cheated in the past will continue, but I think it could be way worse. I do not agree with the expert quoted in the fact that students are very clear on what makes plagiarism or cheating. Students know what they are doing and make the decision. They may know it is wrong, but they’ll still do it. I think the students are to blame for making the decisions to cheat. I do think that cheating is wrong, and I admit to doing it from time to time. In most cases, cheating is very wrong, but other times, like on short little assignments that you forget to do, I don’t think it’s a huge deal. Yes, cheating is wrong, but most kids don’t cheat on the things that really matter.

In my school, Hanover-Horton, cheating is as abrupt as it is in any other school. I believe that people do it not only to pass the class, but for the thrill as well. It may even just be pure laziness. The teachers do obviously state; “this is what’s wrong, this is what’s right”, but I believe that most kids are taking it as a joke. The cheating policy is not taken seriously simply because more and more students are beginning to find cheating easy. The blame should not only be put on the teachers, but on the students as well. The teachers should be monitoring the children more, but at the same time, the children should know better. Right from wrong should not be hard to tell apart. It is the students choice, and they must accept their consequences if they do the wrong thing.

In my school personally I see people cheating pretty often, when I do see it it’s usually the same thing, they ask whoever they want to cheat off of and they usually allow it. People don’t necessarily mind when someone snags their homework just to hurry and get it done, they don’t get offended or angry; they just think it’s normal. I think that there’s more cheating going on now because more and more kids are getting overly concerned about their social lives and other things going on outside of school. When they get to school they don’t have anything done that they were supposed to so they resort to cheating, it’s becoming very common to see people “helping” others, giving answers, with homework in the halls.

I really have not observed much cheating in my school but there is some cheating that happens. I do not think that there is more cheating then ever most kids know how far to go and they wont go past a certain point so they wont get caught as easily. No, I do not agree with the expert that students do not understand what plagiarism or cheating is. Students do understand what cheating and plagiarism is, they may just act like they have no idea so if they get caught they will not get in as much trouble. I do not think anyone person is to blame for students cheating. I do believe that it is wrong to cheat, it causes you not to learn everything and when it comes to test time you will more then likely fail because you do not know the material.

What's Next

Essays About Cheating: Top 5 Examples and 9 Writing Prompts

Essays about cheating show the value of honesty, see our top picks for examples and prompts you can use in writing.

In the US, 95% of high school students admitted to participating in some form of academic cheating . This includes exams and plagiarism. However, cheating doesn’t only occur in schools. It’s also prevalent in couples. Psychologists say that 50% of divorce cases in the country are because of infidelity . Other forms of cheating exist, such as cheating on a diet, a business deal, etc.

Because cheating is an intriguing subject, many want to read about it. However, to write essays about cheating appropriately, you must first pick a subtopic you’re comfortable discussing. Therefore, we have selected five simple but exemplary pieces you can read to get inspiration for writing your paper.

See below our round-up of top example essays about cheating.

1. Long Essay On Cheating In School By Prasanna

2. the reality of cheating in college essay by writer kip, 3. why cheating is wrong by bernadette mcbride, 4. what counts as cheating in a relationship by anonymous on gradesfixer, 5. emotional cheating by anonymous on papersowl, 1. types of cheating, 2. i was cheated on, 3. is cheating a mistake or choice, 4. tax evasion and cheating , 5. when i cheated, 6. cheating in american schools and universities, 7. review a famous book or film about cheating, 8. a famous cheating quote, 9. cause and effects of cheating.

“Cheating is a false representation of the child’s ability which he may not be able to give without cheating. It is unfair to everyone involved as it deprives the true one of the chance to come on the top.”

Prasanna begins the essay by defining cheating in schools and then incorporates how this unethical behavior occurs in reality. She further delves into the argument that cheating is not learning but an addiction that can result in students losing self-confidence, sanity, and integrity. 

Apart from showing the common causes and harmful effects of cheating on students, Prasanna also adds parents’ and teachers’ critical roles in helping students in their studies to keep them from cheating.

“It’s human nature to want to win, and some of us will go against the rules to do so. It can be harmless, but in many cases, it is annoying, or even hurtful.”

Kip defines cheating as human nature and focuses his essay on individuals who are hell-bent on wanting to win in online games. Unfortunately, these players’ desire to be on top is all-consuming, and they’re willing to go against the rules and disregard their integrity.

He talks about his experiences of being cheated in a game called AoE. He also incorporates the effects of these instances on newbies. These cheaters will humiliate, dishearten, and traumatize beginners who only want to have fun.

Check out these essays about cooperation .

“A cheater is more than likely lying to themselves more than to the people around them. A person can only go so far before their lies catch up to them, begin to accumulate, and start to penalize you.”

Mcbride dedicates her essay to answering why cheating is wrong, no matter the circumstance. She points out that there will always be a definite punishment for cheaters, whether they get caught. Mcbride believes that students who cheat, copy, and have someone else do their work are lazy and irresponsible. These students will never gain knowledge.

However, she also acknowledges that some cheaters are desperate, while some don’t realize the repercussions of their behaviors. At the end of the essay, she admits to cheating but says she’s no longer part of that vicious cycle, promising she has already realized her mistakes and doesn’t want to cheat again.

“Keep in mind that relationships are not based on logic, but are influenced by our emotions.”

The author explains how it’s challenging to define cheating in a relationship. It’s because every person has varying views on the topic. What others consider an affair may be acceptable to some. This includes the partners’ interaction with others while also analyzing the individual’s personality, such as flirting, sleeping in the same bed, and spending time with folks.

The essay further explains experts’ opinions on why men and women cheat and how partners heal and rebuild their trust. Finally, examples of different forms of cheating are discussed in the piece to give the readers more information on the subject. 

“…emotional cheating can be described as a desire to engage in another relationship without physically leaving his or her primary relationship.”

There’s an ongoing debate about whether emotional cheating should be labeled as such. The essay digs into the causes of emotional cheating to answer this issue. These reasons include lack of attention to each other, shortage of affectionate gestures, and misunderstandings or absence of proper communication. 

All of these may lead to the partner comparing their relationship to others. Soon, they fall out of love and fail to maintain boundaries, leading to insensitivity and selfishness. When a person in a relationship feels any of these, it can be a reason to look for someone else who can value them and their feelings.

9 Helpful Prompts in Writing Essays About Cheating

Here are some cheating subtopics you can focus your essay on:

Some types of cheating include deception, fabrication, bribery, impersonation, sabotage, and professional misconduct. Explain their definitions and have examples to make it easier for readers to understand.

You can use this prompt even if you don’t have any personal experience of being cheated on. You can instead relay events from a close friend or relative. First, narrate what happened and why. Then add what the person did to move on from the situation and how it affected them. Finally, incorporate lessons they’ve learned.

While this topic is still discussed by many, for you, is cheating a redeemable mistake? Or is it a choice with consequences? Express your opinion on this matter. Gather reliable evidence to support your claims, such as studies and research findings, to increase your essay’s credibility.

Tax evasion is a crime with severe penalties. Explain what it is and its punishments through a famous tax evasion case your readers can immediately recognize. For example, you can use Al Capone and his 11-year imprisonment and $215,000 back taxes . Talk through why he was charged with such and add your opinion. Ensure you have adequate and reliable sources to back up your claims.

Start with a  5 paragraph essay  to better organize your points.

Some say everyone will cheat at some point in their life. Talk about the time you cheated – it can be at a school exam, during work, or while on a diet. Put the perspective that made you think cheating was reasonable. Did you feel guilt? What did you do after, and did you cheat again? Answer these questions in your essay for an engaging and thrilling piece of writing.

Since academic cheating is notorious in America, use this topic for your essay. Find out which areas have high rates of academic cheating. What are their penalties? Why is cheating widespread? Include any measures the academe put in place.

Cheating is a frequent cause of conflict on small and big screens. Watch a film or read a story and write a review. Briefly summarize the plot, critique the characters, and add your realizations after finishing the piece. 

Goodreads has a list of books related to cheating. Currently, Thoughtless by S.C. Stephens has the highest rating.

Use this as an opportunity to write a unique essay by explaining the quote based on your understanding. It can be quotes from famous personalities or something that resonates with you and your experiences.

Since cheating’s cause and effect is a standard prompt, center your essay on an area unrelated to academics or relationships. For instance, write about cheating on your diet or cheating yourself of the opportunities life presents you.

Create a top-notch essay with excellent grammar. See our list of the best grammar checkers.

Maria Caballero is a freelance writer who has been writing since high school. She believes that to be a writer doesn't only refer to excellent syntax and semantics but also knowing how to weave words together to communicate to any reader effectively.

View all posts

Why Students Cheat and How to Stop It

• For Parents & Educators
• Choosing a Private School
• Homework Help
• College Admissions
• College Life
• Graduate School
• Business School
• Distance Learning
• B.A., Classics, McGill University

Cheating in schools has reached epidemic proportions. The vast majority of young people (and adults for that matter) believe that cheating is wrong. Yet, by nearly every poll, most young people cheat at least once in their high school career. Why students cheat poses a challenging question for educators and parents. Here are some answers to these questions followed by possible solutions to minimize or eliminate cheating.

Why Students Cheat

Everybody does it: It's disturbing to discover that young people in middle school and high school think that it is acceptable to cheat. But the majority of tests that educators give encourage this behavior. Take multiple-choice tests, for example. They literally invite students to cheat.

Unrealistic academic demands: The public education sector is accountable to the government. State legislatures, state boards of education, local boards of education, unions, and countless other organizations demand action to correct the real and imagined failings of the nation's public education system. As a result, students must take standardized tests so that officials and parents can compare one school system to another nationally and at the state level.

In the classroom, these tests mean that a teacher must achieve the expected results or better, or she will be viewed as ineffective, or worse, incompetent. So instead of teaching students how to think, she teaches them how to pass standardized tests.

The temptation to plagiarize: Years ago cheaters lifted whole passages from an encyclopedia and called them their own. That was plagiarism. Plagiarism's current incarnation is even easier: The students simply points and clicks his way to the website with the relevant information, copies and paste it, reformats it somewhat, and passes it off as his own.

Possible Solutions

Schools need to have zero-tolerance policies concerning cheating. Teachers must be vigilant and alert to all of the newer forms of cheating, particularly electronic cheating. Smartphones and computer tablets are powerful tools for cheating. Fighting the tools that make it tempting to cheat can be challenging, but if the stakeholders are willing to take the necessary steps, they can help reduce cheating.

Teachers:  The best solution is to make learning exciting and absorbing. Teachers should make the learning process student-centric. They should allow students to buy into the process and empower them to guide and direct their learning. Teachers can encourage creativity and critical thinking as opposed to rote learning. There are some specific steps teachers can take:

• Model integrity, no matter what the cost.
• Don't assume young people know why cheating is wrong, both from a personal and corporate perspective.
• Enable students to understand the meaning and relevance of an academic lesson.
• Foster an academic curriculum that perpetuates real-world applications of knowledge.
• Don't force cheating underground—let students know that you understand the pressures and, at least initially, be reasonable in responding to violations.

Parents:  Parents have a huge role to play in combating cheating. That's because children mimic almost everything parents do. Parents must set the right sort of example for their children to emulate. Parents must also take a genuine interest in their children's work. They should ask to see everything and anything and discuss everything and anything. An involved parent is a powerful weapon against cheating.

Students:  Students must learn to be true to themselves and their own core values. They should not let peer pressure and other influences steal their dreams. Parents and educators should emphasize that if students are caught cheating, there will be serious consequences.

Also, this might seem simplistic, but students need to understand why cheating is wrong. Dr. Thomas Lickona, a developmental psychologist and education professor, defined a few points to emphasize to students about cheating. Lickona says that parents and teachers should explain to students that cheating:

• Will lower self-respect because you can never be proud of anything you earned by cheating.
• Is a lie because it deceives other people into thinking you know more than you do.
• Violates the teacher's trust and undermines the whole trust relationship between the teacher and his class.
• Is unfair to all people who aren't cheating.
• Will lead to more cheating in other situations later in life—perhaps even in personal relationships.

Foiling Electronic Cheating

When essay topics are generic, there seems to be more opportunity to cheat. By contrast, when the essay topic is specific to class discussions and/or unique to the course's stated goals, it becomes more difficult for students to go to web sources to lift material or download papers.

When the teacher expects the paper's development to follow a step-by-step process that requires students to document their topic, thesis, outline, sources, rough draft, and final draft, there are fewer opportunities to cheat. If there are regular in-class writing assignments, a teacher can come to know the students' writing style, allowing him to recognize plagiarism when it occurs.

There are a few steps teachers can take to combat and prevent plagiarism and other electronic cheating:

• Use a plagiarism detection service like  Turnitin.com  to catch plagiarism.
• Forbid the use of smart devices in exam rooms.
• Secure the grade program and database.
• Look for crib notes anywhere and everywhere.

Teachers need to be vigilant. Trust but verify. They must be aware of the possibilities for cheating which are all around them.

• Lickona, Thomas. “ Character Matters: How to Help Our Children Develop Good Judgment, Integrity, and Other Essential Virtues .”  Amazon , Simon & Schuster, 2004.
• Niels, Gary J. “ Academic Practices, School Culture and Cheating Behavior. " Winchesterthurston.org.
• “ NMPLB: Cheating. " FlyLady.net.
• “ One Third of Teens Use Cellphones to Cheat in School. ”  U.S. News & World Report , U.S. News & World Report.
• Sperling, Melanie. “ Cheating: Today's High School Norm? ”  Wayland Student Press.
• Wallace, Kelly. “ High-Tech Cheating On The Rise At Schools.”   CBS News , CBS Interactive, 17 June 2009.

Article edited by  Stacy Jagodowski

• 4 Teaching Philosophy Statement Examples
• Why Students Cheat and How to Stop Them
• Cheating Is More Serious in College Than in High School
• Tips for Teachers to Make Classroom Discipline Decisions
• How Teachers Can Build a Trusting Relationship With Their Principal
• Cheating with Technology
• Effective Strategies to Increase Parental Involvement in Education
• What Teachers Should Never Say or Do
• Strategies to Handle a Disruptive Student
• Tips for a Successful Parent-Teacher Conference
• 7 Back to School Tips for Teachers
• Pros and Cons of Teaching
• Meaningful Life Lessons We Learn From Teachers at School
• Are Cell Phones Allowed in Schools?
• The Ultimate Teacher's Guide to Discipline Referrals
• Parent Role in Education is Critical for Academic Success

• Our Mission

8 Ways to Reduce Student Cheating

Clarity about learning objectives and questions that focus on the thinking process can reduce the chance that students will cheat.

How can I prevent students from cheating on tests and exams?

The pandemic has made this question even more frequent, since many educators are concerned about the quality of learning and the possibility of cheating. Yet, it’s always been a common question among educators.

There’s a flaw in this question, though: It assumes that students want to cheat and will cheat. It also is reactive instead of preventive. My advice and coaching, as a discipline-based education researcher in science, has always been to avoid Band-Aid fixes and solve the root of the problem. I encourage teachers and professors to reflect on two questions:

• Why do students cheat?
• How can we, as educators, create a culture that eliminates the desire to cheat?

To eliminate the temptation of cheating, we need to adopt strategies that reduce anxiety about tests and exams, increase clarity of learning expectations and students’ learning progress, and emphasize the process of learning. We want students to be relaxed with tests and exams and see them as nothing more than an opportunity to demonstrate their current knowledge and skills.

8 Strategies to Change Class Structure and Shift Students’ Perspectives

1. Change your language: Sometimes, unintentionally, our language and behavior reinforce an emphasis on correct answers and grades. During instruction, try to use more open-ended questions that begin with “Why” or “How.” Emphasize process instead of final, definitive answers.

As a science, technology, engineering, and math educator, I have students explain how they solved the problem, and I assign more points on assessments for showing the thinking process and problem-solving. I resist answering students when they ask for a correct answer. Instead, I reply with a question to encourage them to think through the problem.

2. Constructive alignment:  The alignment of learning objectives, instruction, and assessment is critical to reduce cheating. Learning objectives provide clarity of the expectations. When students know that the learning objectives are representative of the exam, they do not have as much test anxiety about the unknown. They can better prepare for the assessment.

3. Frequent low-stakes assessments: Frequent low-stakes assessments reduce the anxiety of a heavily weighted test or exam, and they also provide timely feedback to the student about their learning, which brings clarity and again reduces the unknown. I encourage improvement in my courses. I will replace any low-stakes assessment with their test or exam grade, if they demonstrate improvement. This creates a culture in which students can be rewarded for their growth and learning from mistakes.

4. Diagnostic tests:  One week before a large unit test in my course, students independently complete a diagnostic test. They review the diagnostic in groups using a specific protocol. They determine the correct answer, what made the problem difficult, what was essential to know, and how they could better study or prepare for similar questions. At no point do I provide correct answers. Students love brainstorming study strategies with their peers. They then have a week to study and seek further guidance.

5. Test design: There is so much cognitive processing that goes on during a test, and much of it is not related to the actual content. Let students know the structure and format in advance. Use a cover sheet that has a cartoon or other funny, topic-related joke to activate dopamine boosters to calm students. I include mindfulness prompts to reduce anxiety and remind students to break problems down into smaller steps.

Additionally, line dividers between questions, rubrics for point breakdowns, clearly defined places to write answers and show work, and plenty of spacing between questions are all formatting structures that help reduce the cognitive load on students. Minimal effort should be spent trying to figure out how to take the test.

6. Question design:  We can ask questions that eliminate a single definite answer and reinforce the process of learning. Ask questions that focus on students’ problem-solving or thinking process. Another option is to use creation-style questions. Ask students to explain an example or create a scenario with certain criteria. I also give a problem fully solved, and students analyze the response and justify their analysis with evidence. If students know that questions are more about their individual thinking, they will respect the assessment process more.

7. Review and reflect with exam wrappers:  Emphasize the process of learning by explicitly teaching students to reflect on their learning. Using exam wrappers, which are guides with reflective questions, will help students identify their performance and strategies to improve. It’s not enough for students to know what their mistakes were; they need to understand why they made these mistakes.

8. Metacognitive check-ins: After the exam wrapper, students answer four questions. First, they identify their strengths in the course; second, they note their areas of improvement; and third, they describe actions to improve and change. The fourth question empowers them to think about how they can advocate for themselves and seek help from their teacher. I have student conferences in which we discuss the four questions. This reduces the anxiety of talking with a teacher and not knowing what to talk about.

Home — Essay Samples — Education — Cheating — Paragraph About Cheating

Paragraph About Cheating

• Categories: Cheating

About this sample

Words: 616 |

Published: Mar 19, 2024

Words: 616 | Page: 1 | 4 min read

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Prof. Kifaru

Verified writer

• Expert in: Education

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

3 pages / 1236 words

3 pages / 1582 words

2 pages / 1025 words

3 pages / 1209 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Cheating

Smith, John. 'The Growth of Cheating in Classrooms.' Academic Journal of Education, vol. 24, no. 2, 2021, pp. 45-62.Johnson, Sarah. 'Cognitive Dissonance and Academic Dishonesty.' Journal of Educational Psychology, vol. 36, no. [...]

O'Malley, Brendan. 'Cheating by International Students Rampant at British Universities, Says Newspaper.' The Chronicle of Higher Education, 7 January 2016. Retrieved from [...]

In the field of education, the issue of academic cheating has sparked a significant debate regarding whether it is worsening. This essay delves into the evolving landscape of academic cheating, considering technological [...]

Karen Farkas. (2017). 86 percent of college students say they've cheated. It's easier than ever with mobile devices. Available at: ed.

Cheating has always been a prevalent issue in schools, with students finding various ways to deceive teachers and gain an unfair advantage over their peers. From peeking at a neighbor's paper during a test to plagiarizing entire [...]

In a very broad sense, cheating involves betraying a partner’s expectations about the type of contact the cheater has with others. When a husband or wife, boyfriend or girlfriend, violates one’s expectations about what is [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

• Health Science
• Business Education
• Computer Applications
• Career Readiness
• Teaching Strategies

«  View All Posts

Classroom Management | Teaching Strategies | Classroom Planning

11 Ways to Prevent Cheating in Schools

• Share This Article

April 9th, 2024 | 8 min. read

Brad Hummel

Coming from a family of educators, Brad knows both the joys and challenges of teaching well. Through his own teaching background, he’s experienced both firsthand. As a writer for iCEV, Brad’s goal is to help teachers empower their students by listening to educators’ concerns and creating content that answers their most pressing questions about career and technical education.

Print/Save as PDF

In working with teachers for more than 30 years, one of the most common frustrations we hear across the board is the fact that students cheat to get ahead .

Unfortunately, this isn’t a recent problem. Academic dishonesty has been around since before anyone can remember. But why do students cheat? Do they dislike the topics? Is the pressure to get good grades too much? Are they looked down on for asking for help?

Even though this is a problem with seemingly no solution in sight, we’ve got some ideas to help you make some changes in your school.

In this article, you'll discover 11 strategies to help prevent cheating in the classroom and encourage integrity among your students.

By the end of this article, you'll be well on your way to improving your classroom management by making your classroom as honest as it can be. 

1. Talk About Honesty & Integrity

Discussing honesty and integrity is a great starting point for any teacher who has concerns about cheating in the classroom.

Even though your students may have already learned these concepts, it’s a good idea to discuss them in relation to your class specifically.

This may not sound like it will prevent cheating by itself, but it’s at least a good reminder of academic integrity.

Plus, if you’re upfront about your expectations, that could be all that some students need to hear to think twice before cheating.

2. Teach Digital Responsibility

In today’s educational world, many teachers use digital resources in their classroom.

While it’s incredibly useful, this technology can sometimes make it easier for sneaky students to cheat on assignments both in class and at home.

To cover your bases, it’s smart to spend at least one class period discussing digital responsibility . This will help you teach students about the importance of honesty, integrity, and decision-making using online tools.

By explaining the responsibilities your students have to make good decisions (including not cheating), you’re reinforcing classroom expectations.

3. Create an Anti-Cheating Pledge

Some teachers find another way to reinforce integrity and honesty is to create an Anti-Cheating Pledge.

Essentially, this pledge will define your classes rules related to cheating and academic honesty. It should be cut-and-dry to prevent anyone from trying to find a loophole when caught cheating.

You can create your own document or use a pre-generated one, but some teachers find more success when students are involved in creating the pledge themselves! After all, if students collectively come up with the rules related to cheating, they’ll hold each other accountable for not breaking them. (This is one of the times you’ll see peer pressure work in a positive way!)

After finalizing the details, have each student sign the pledge and agree to uphold everything included. To make the anti-cheating pledge front and center, you could even turn it into a poster to hang on your classroom wall.

This poster will act as a constant reminder to any student in your class that they’ve singed the pledge and are expected to uphold it!

4. Make Different Versions of Your Assessments

To combat cheating on tests specifically, you can make multiple versions of the same assessment.  Whether it’s a paper test or online assessment, you have a lot of options for doing this.

Many teachers create two or three versions of the same test with the questions in a different order on each version. In other cases, teachers will reword questions on each version.

Once you’ve created the different versions, you’ve got another decision to make.

Some teachers don’t tell their students they’ve created different versions. This can help you spot students who’ve copied someone else’s answers because the cheating student will have incorrect answers for their test, but the correct ones for the other version!

Other teachers will choose to tell their students they’ve made multiple versions of the test.

They do this because sometimes being upfront with this information, it will discourage students from trying to cheat in the first place!

5. Switch Up Seating on Test Day

In some classrooms, students who sit together may plan to cheat off of each other’s tests.

If this is a problem in your classes, you can switch seating in your classroom every test day.

On test day, assign students to sit in a different place than their normal seat. You can decide where each student will sit and make sure students who tend to cheat are placed away from each other.

Most teachers won’t tell students about the seating changes, in case students still try to make plans to cheat. If you’ve got one or two stubborn students who try to game the system, they’ll likely bother everyone else in the class to try and cheat.

In turn, there’s bound to be a student who tells you what’s going on and you can implement one of the other strategies on the list to prevent avid cheaters.

6. Use Multiple Assessment Styles

In education, quizzes and tests can be either formative or summative assessments .

Formative assessments evaluate how well a student is learning the material through the course.

Summative assessments measure how much a student learned during the course.

Essentially, that means formative assessments can occur at any point in time and summative assessments are performed at the end of a unit or class.

Teachers usually emphasize summative assessments like final exams or end-of-course reports when they determine final grades. In turn, that means students have more incentive to cheat on those types of assessments!

To take the pressure off and reduce the urge to cheat, try incorporating a more even balance of formative and summative assessments in how you give grades to your students.

7. Manage Access to Personal Devices

Regardless of whether your students actively cheat in the classroom, it’s a good idea to make rules about cellphones and other devices during testing.

Some teachers instruct all students to place their phones on their desks facedown so the teacher can see where they are. Other teachers create a designated area (such as a drawer or basket) where students must place their phones when they enter the classroom.

You could even make this a benefit to your students by turning it into a “ charging station ” for students to plug their phones in during the day.

Even with these types of policies in place, some students will try to sneak their phone past you.  If this becomes a problem, you could may need to confiscate phones you see out during the test.

8. Check the Settings on Digital Study Tools

Sometimes, sneaky students figure out ways to turn study resources into cheating opportunities.

One of the most common culprits is account-based study resources like Quizlet . These are excellent ways to help students study and review key information.

But if you don’t review the settings for who can access the resources, you and your students could inadvertently be helping students cheat!

Your study resources may end up in Google search results, they may be passed between students in different sections of the same class, and more!

That’s why it’s smart to go through any external study tool and review all of the settings available.  Keep an eye out for either privacy settings or accessibility settings to control what students can access and when.

9. Change the Structure of Your Tests

In the era of standardized testing, millions of assessments have adopted the format of multiple choice questions.

Rather than asking these questions that rely on students memorizing information, challenge their critical thinking skills by asking open-ended questions.

Even if a student tries to peek at another person’s answers, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to copy the information down.

If they do, you’ll see two identical answers from students who sit next to each other -- a certain indicator someone was cheating!

10. Create an Atmosphere of Asking Questions

If you have a group of students who struggle to take tests but don’t like to ask for help, this is the strategy for you!

Try changing your teaching style to encourage students to ask questions at any point in time, without being reprimanded for interrupting class.

It’s also a great idea to have them think critically about what you’re discussing and give their own opinions on the topic.

You could even set up a way for students to have better access to remediation when needed. This strategy helps students feel more comfortable asking for help, improving their own knowledge, and succeeding on tests.

11. Change How You Define Success in Your Classroom

For any teacher, it can be easy to keep a mental note of “good” and “bad” students. Good students get good grades and bad students don’t, and everyone knows who is on which list.

But if that’s how you define success, you’re only feeding the problem of cheating to get good grades!

Praising effort and progress over grades can encourage active learning in “bad” students.

By acknowledging the hard work of every student in your class, you’re showing that you care more about their work ethic than the numbers next to their name.

After all, you went into teaching to help students learn -- not to teach to a test!

Prevent Cheating with a Comprehensive Curriculum System

Preventing cheating in your classroom can be challenging. After all, when students cheat, they aren't mastering the material or practicing honesty and integrity. This can leave you frustrated and disappointed as an educator. But when you incorporate some of the strategies in this article, you'll be able to better mitigate cheating in your classroom and build a culture of integrity for your learners.

How do teachers find time to implement these strategies when they are busy preparing for each class? For many educators, implementing a comprehensive curriculum system such as iCEV is part of the answer.

When you use iCEV for your CTE curriculum, you're equipped with a comprehensive solution complete with multimedia lessons, interactive projects and activities, and assessments--including features you can use to limit cheating in your classroom!

Interested in learning more about iCEV? Schedule a free demo . You'll learn more about iCEV and how you can use it to improve the learning experience for your students.

February 1, 2022 10:03 am

Why do students cheat?

Academic integrity matters — but it isn’t easy to guarantee. Here are 3 reasons why students plagiarize and how you can address it.

I’ll admit, in a moment of desperation, I typed into the search bar, “why do students cheat?” After extensive discussions about academic integrity, I couldn’t comprehend why my students would do such a thing. The internet would have an answer, I was sure of it (it seems my students also shared in this sentiment).

While it didn’t give me the solace I was looking for, it did take me on a tour of the history of academic dishonesty.

My first search result from 2018 offers us a solution: “Why Students Cheat – and What to Do About It.”

As I scrolled further, I noticed that in 1981, a teacher bemoaned, “Research papers advertised for sale. Cadets dismissed in cheating scandals. Students hiding formulas in calculator cases” in an article called “Why Do Some Students Cheat?”

And all the way back to 1941, an article titled “Why Students Cheat” appeared in the Journal of Higher Education.

This timeline tells us a few things:

• Students have been cheating for at least 80 years, but probably longer.
• And teachers have been bothered by it since then.
• While we are quick to blame technology these days, it’s probably not the answer to the question.

So, what are the time-tested reasons why students cheat?

Many students are under pressure from parents or guardians to earn certain grades. Maybe the expectation is acceptance to a certain university, following a certain career path, or just a general expectation of “success.” As much as teenagers like to pretend they don’t care what their parents think, this can be a heavy burden to bear.

Whether or not familial pressure exists, some students also place expectations on themselves to perform at a high level. While we hope all our students are intrinsically motivated, perfectionism and fixation on an idealized outcome can be unhealthy, especially because students may feel they need to achieve their desired GPA by any means necessary.

While this may not be our first thought, students do feel pressure from peers as well. When a Harvard Graduate School of Education student asked why cheating happens, a student wrote, “‘Peer pressure makes students cheat. Sometimes they have a reason to cheat like feeling [like] they need to be the smartest kid in class.’”

While educators cannot remove familial pressure, we can focus on intrinsic motivation by increasing student agency and creating a collaborative environment. That way, we’re relieving pressure instead of adding to it.

Time management (or really the lack thereof) is likely the most common reason why students cheat when they didn’t intend to in the first place. For high school students, a due date a month away feels as distant as their 25th birthday. In the weeks before the assignment is due, they will have made time for everything but the work needed, so when they sit down to work on it the night before it’s due, they realize they just don’t have enough time to do it themselves.

Sometimes, a student just doesn’t feel like a required class fits into their life goals. A prodigal swimmer doesn’t see how an essay on The Great Gatsby is going to increase her odds of earning an athletic scholarship.

And often because of semester schedules and grading periods, students are faced with multiple exams, projects, and essays all due around the same time. This happened 40 years ago too: “ ‘It is Friday and many of the kids have three or four tests. It is certain that, since there has been too much to study for, there will be a lot of cheating going on today.’ ” We already know they struggle with time management, so they seek out lifelines when it all becomes too much.

Try collaborating with colleagues to spread out critical due dates for large projects within each grade level, and maybe add some direct instruction around time management skills with an SEL curriculum .

Knowledge & Skills

A student may feel that they don’t have the necessary skills to complete an assignment to the standards they set for themselves. They use someone else’s words instead of their own because they said it better than they could with what they view as the “lumpy, inelegant sound of their writing.”

In the case of plagiarism, it is also possible that students simply don’t quite understand the way to properly give credit for the use of someone’s intellectual property. While this was probably still the case when students were pulling information from actual, physical library books, it is especially true in this age of “reposting images, repurposing memes, and watching parody videos” where students “‘see ownership as nebulous.’”

Which brings us to technology. Though technology “has made cheating in school easier, more convenient, and harder to catch than ever before,” it is not necessarily a reason why students cheat. Clearly, students cheated 80 years ago without the help of the internet.

Knowing the reasons why students cheat helps us to empathize and avoid taking it personally. And as much as it contributes to the issue, technology also offers us a plethora of options for detection. You don’t need to re-read a student’s essay multiple times because something “sounds off” — Imagine Edgenuity’s embedded Plagiarism Checker automatically scans student work and alerts you when a match is found. Worried about students using software to move through courses more quickly (or maybe you didn’t know they could do that)? Speed Radar automatically flags students completing tasks more quickly than expected for educator review. Thanks to these resources, I have been able to stop Googling and relax a bit, knowing that I have the tools to help turn academic dishonesty into a learning opportunity.

Looking for more tips?

Find sample academic integrity policies, downloadable resources, and more on Imagine Learning’s academic integrity page.

About the Author

Ally Jones is a California credentialed educator who specialized in teaching English language learners at the secondary level. Outside of education, she is passionate about fitness, literature, and taking care of the planet for her son’s generation.

Exam Cheating, Its Causes and Effects

Introduction, definition of cheating, works cited.

The ability of a nation to compete effectively on the international front hinges on the quality of its education. With this in mind, it is okay to conclude that cheating in exams undermines the standard of education in a country and consequently hinders its ability to compete at the world stage. Indeed, students who cheat in exams become poor decision makers in their careers. Their productivity and level of integrity is adversely dented by their belief of having everything the easy way. Academic dishonesty is not new but with the increase in competition for jobs, most students have resorted to cheating in order to qualify for these jobs (Anderman and Johnston 75). The purpose of this paper is to research in detail the causes and effects of cheating in exams.

In the education fraternity, cheating entails: copying from someone, Plagiarizing of academic work and paying someone to do your homework. There are numerous reasons why students cheat in exams however; this action elicits harsh repercussions if one is caught. This may include: suspension, dismissal and/or cancellation of marks (Davis, Grover, Becker and McGregor 16).

One of the major reasons that make students cheat in exams is the over-emphasis that has been placed on passing exams. Apparently, more effort has been directed towards passing of exams than learning due to the high competition in the job market. Similarly, most interviewers focus more on certificates rather than the knowledge of the candidate. It is no wonder most learning institutions these days focus on teaching how to pass an exam and completely disregard impacting knowledge to students.

In some cases, students cheat because they are not confident of their ability or skills in academics. Whenever this feeling is present, students resort to cheating as a way of avoiding ridicule in case of failure. In essence, some of these students are very bright but the fear of failure and the lack of adequate preparations compel them to cheat. The paradox is that when cheating, most students swear that they will never do it again but this only serves as the beginning of a vicious cycle of cheating (Anderman and Johnston 76).

Societal pressure is another major cause for cheating in schools. Parents, teachers and relatives always, with good intentions, mount too much pressure on students to get good grades in order to join good schools and eventually get high paying jobs. All this pressure creates innate feelings that it is okay to cheat in exams if only to satisfy their parents and teachers egos.

There are times when students justify cheating because others do it. In most cases, if the head of the class is cheating then most of the other students will feel they have enough reason to also cheat. The system of education is such that it does not sufficiently reprimand those who cheat and tends to hail those who pass exams regardless of how they have done—the end justifies the means.

With the advent of the internet, it has become very easy to access information from a website using a phone or a computer. Search engines such as Google and Yahoo have made it very easy for students to buy custom-made papers for their class work. It is very easy for students from all over the world to have the same answer for an assignment as they all use a similar website. Indeed, plagiarism is the order of the day, all on has to do is to have the knowledge to search for the different reports and essays on the net (Davis, Grover, Becker and McGregor 18).

Nowadays, most tutors spend most of their class time giving lectures. In fact, it is considered old fashioned to give assignments during class time. Consequently, these assignments are piled up and given during certain durations of the semester. This poses a big challenge to students who have to strike a balance between attending to their homework and having fun. As a result, the workload becomes too much such that it is easier to pay for it to be done than actually do it—homework then becomes as demanding as a full-time job (Jordan 234).

From a tender age, children are taught that cheating is wrong; yet most of them divert from this course as they grow up. In fact, most of them become so addicted to the habit that they feel the need to perfect it. Most often, if a student cheats and never gets caught, he is likely to cheat all his life. Research has shown that students who cheat in high school are twice likely to cheat in college. The bigger problem is that this character is likely to affect one’s career in future consequently tarnishing his/her image.

Cheating in exams poses a great problem in one’s career. To get a good grade as a result of cheating is a misrepresentation of facts. Furthermore, it is difficult for a tutor to isolate students who genuinely need specialized coaching. It becomes a huge embarrassment when a cheating student is expected to give a perfect presentation and fails to demonstrate his ability as indicated by his/her grades. In addition, students who cheat in examination do not get a chance to grasp important concepts in class and are likely to face difficulties in the future when the same principles are applied in higher levels of learning.

The worst-case scenario in cheating in an exam is being caught. Once a student is caught, his reputation is dealt a huge blow. It is likely that such a student will be dismissed or suspended from school. This hinders his/her ability to land a good job or join graduate school. It can also lead to a complete damage of one’s reputation making it hard for others to trust you including those who cheat (Jordan 235).

Cheating in exams and assignments can be attributed to many reasons. To begin with, teaching today concentrates so much on the exams and passing rather than impacting knowledge. Lack of confidence in one’s ability and societal pressure is another reason why cheating is so wide spread. Cheating cannot solely be blamed on the students; lecturers have also played their part in this. Apparently, most lectures concentrate on teaching than giving assignments during class time. This leaves the students with loads of work to cover during their free time.

Technology has also played its part in cheating—many students turn to the internet in a bid to complete their assignments. On the other hand, it is important to note than choices have consequences and the repercussions of cheating in an exams are dire. First, it completely ruins one’s reputation thereby hindering chances of joining college or getting a good job. It also leads to suspensions and/or expulsion from school. Furthermore, the habit is so addictive that it is likely to replicate in all aspects of life—be it relationships, work, business deals etc. It is important to shun this habit as nothing good can come out of it.

Anderman, Erick and Jerome Johnston. “TV News in the Classroom: What are Adolescents Learning?” Journal of Adolescent Research , 13 (1998): 73-100. Print.

Davis, Stephen, Cathy Grover, Angela, Becker, and Loretta McGregor. “Academic Dishonesty: Prevalence, Determinants, Techniques, and Punishments”. Teaching of Psychology , 19 (1) (1996): 16–20. Print.

Jordan, Augustus E. “College Student Cheating: The Role of Motivation, Perceived Norms, Attitudes, and Knowledge of Institutional Policy. Ethics and Behavior , 11, (2001): 233–247. Print.

Cite this paper

• Chicago (N-B)
• Chicago (A-D)

StudyCorgi. (2020, November 25). Exam Cheating, Its Causes and Effects. https://studycorgi.com/exam-cheating-its-causes-and-effects/

"Exam Cheating, Its Causes and Effects." StudyCorgi , 25 Nov. 2020, studycorgi.com/exam-cheating-its-causes-and-effects/.

StudyCorgi . (2020) 'Exam Cheating, Its Causes and Effects'. 25 November.

1. StudyCorgi . "Exam Cheating, Its Causes and Effects." November 25, 2020. https://studycorgi.com/exam-cheating-its-causes-and-effects/.

Bibliography

StudyCorgi . "Exam Cheating, Its Causes and Effects." November 25, 2020. https://studycorgi.com/exam-cheating-its-causes-and-effects/.

StudyCorgi . 2020. "Exam Cheating, Its Causes and Effects." November 25, 2020. https://studycorgi.com/exam-cheating-its-causes-and-effects/.

This paper, “Exam Cheating, Its Causes and Effects”, was written and voluntary submitted to our free essay database by a straight-A student. Please ensure you properly reference the paper if you're using it to write your assignment.

Before publication, the StudyCorgi editorial team proofread and checked the paper to make sure it meets the highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, fact accuracy, copyright issues, and inclusive language. Last updated: November 8, 2023 .

If you are the author of this paper and no longer wish to have it published on StudyCorgi, request the removal . Please use the “ Donate your paper ” form to submit an essay.

Cheat Codes: Students Search For Shortcuts as Virtual Schooling Expands

An eighth grader looks up answers on a cell phone while he is taking an online quiz at home. The pandemic has forced many Oklahoma school districts to shift to part-time or full-time online learning this year. (Whitney Bryen/Oklahoma Watch)

Computer programmer Gradyn Wursten still updates a project he created to hack his high school homework.

As a sophomore, he used an old MacBook with a cracked screen and bulging battery to write the code that adds shortcuts to Edgenuity — an online education platform used by more than   3 million students .

Once installed, his program can skip videos and automatically fill practice questions with answers — progressing straight to quizzes and tests.

Instead of watching a 30-minute history lesson on the Iroquois, students can cut right to the quiz. And those answers are often easily found on the web.

The hacks make it possible to complete a course much faster, students say.

Wursten is more computer savvy than most, but his quest for shortcuts is typical. His program, developed from his home in Heber City, Utah, has been downloaded 40,000 times by students across the country. In the past month, he gained 2,000 new users, including more than 100 in Oklahoma.

And his tool is just one of many available to savvy students.

Entire test keys and quiz answers are posted to homework help websites. Smartphone apps take a photo of a question and produce the answer. Students connect on social media or text groups to share answers. There are even tricks to fake attendance in a Zoom class — demonstrated by a teen’s viral Tik Tok video.

Schools’ large-scale shift to virtual education amid COVID-19 is challenging the system of determining what students actually know and limiting educators’ ability to ensure academic integrity.

Cheating has always been an issue in schools, but there is little getting in the way for students today. Shared answers have become even more accessible as districts have adopted or expanded their use of popular online learning programs like Edgenuity, which delivers the same content to students across the country.

Many schools adopted such virtual programs in a matter of months to adapt to the ongoing public health crisis. Seventy percent of Oklahoma districts had a virtual option at the start of this school year, and 7.5% were exclusively online, according to a state Department of Education   survey .

But when students are not inside classrooms, it becomes more difficult to ensure they are actually learning, teachers say.

“Everything my kids are doing at home is a cheatable assignment, which makes that in-class time so incredibly valuable,” said Elanna Dobbs, who teaches English at Edmond Memorial High School.

Edmond is using a blended schedule, where students attend class some days and are virtual from home the rest of the week.

Dobbs, who has been teaching 19 years, said on virtual days, she relies on class discussions or assignments that task students with providing individual thoughts on what they’ve learned. In other words, the type of assignments they can’t just Google.

Many students aren’t getting any in-person class time, though.

Virtual charter schools are experiencing a surge of enrollment, a trend underway before the pandemic. These schools don’t have classrooms and the students learn mostly from home. Epic Charter Schools says it has 61,000 students enrolled — representing about 1 in 10 Oklahoma students. Other statewide virtual charter schools are experiencing increases.

In virtual charter schools, teachers provide less direct instruction than in a traditional school, with the curriculum program delivering most of the lessons. Parents are expected to fill in the gaps and oversee the learning process.

Research shows it doesn’t work very well. Students enrolled full-time in virtual charter schools learned an equivalent of 72 days fewer in reading and 180 days fewer in math than students in brick-and-mortar schools over one academic year, according to a   2015 study   by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes, a non-partisan research center at Stanford University.

Now, those same methods are being adopted by traditional school districts with the tens of thousands of Oklahoma students attending school from home.

And yet, critics — from parents to the president — have deemed online education inadequate. “Now that we have witnessed it on a large scale basis, and firsthand, Virtual Learning has proven to be TERRIBLE compared to In School, or On Campus, Learning,” President Donald Trump   tweeted July 10.

That month, in Norman, parents railed against a plan to use Edgenuity teachers for all students enrolling in the district’s virtual program. They spoke out at board meetings, and wrote a   letter to the district,   calling it “troubling” that Edgenuity was their only virtual option within the district.

“Our children deserve to have personal interactions with local teachers and classmates as part of their virtual school experience during this pandemic,” they wrote. They urged the district to, among other requests, provide an option for students to learn from Norman teachers, not from “an out-of-state, for-profit venture.”

The district relented and quickly developed an in-house virtual program, in addition to offering Edgenuity.

Relying on Teachers to Spot Discrepancies from Afar

Technology provides some cheating protections. Edgenuity features a locking browser, which restricts students from opening other tabs and programs while the learning platform is open. Epic and Oklahoma Virtual Charter Academy say their teachers can require exams to be proctored, where the student is monitored remotely through a webcam.

Watch videos related to this reporting on Oklahoma Watch’s website.

Students can bypass these protections. Often, it’s no more difficult than pulling up answers on a smartphone. A   2018 study by Pew Research Center   found 95% of teens have a smartphone, or at least access to one. Even kindergarten students know how to ask a smart speaker their homework questions.

Yet the companies providing the lessons say it’s up to users to provide the accountability and prevent cheating.

“Edgenuity trusts the integrity of teachers, administrations, and even students themselves, to ensure that students learn and succeed fairly,” wrote Deborah Rayow, Edgenuity’s Vice President of Instructional Design & Learning Science, in response to Oklahoma Watch’s questions.

Edgenuity, an Arizona-based online curriculum company, is being used by at least some virtual students in Norman, Union, Stillwater and other school districts.

Another program, Exact Path, is being used in more than 400 Oklahoma districts. The state Education Department used CARES Act funds to enter into a $2.6 million contract with parent company, Edmentum, to offer   Exact Path free to districts . Exact Path is an online learning tool that can be used for assessment and instruction in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Districts are, in some cases, using Exact Path even when school is in-person, to make it easier to pivot to distance learning because of an outbreak or need to quarantine.

Edmentum says because Exact Path adapts to individual students, it is difficult to use online social networks to find answers. And the company works with popular homework help sites like Quizlet and Brainly to “ensure our content is not posted on their sites,” a spokesperson said.

Exact Path also alerts teachers to unusual behavior — such as answering too quickly.

LIke Edgenuity, Edmentum emphasizes teachers’ responsibility to prevent cheating.

One of the most effective things teachers can do to prevent cheating is to design their own online curriculum, or at least supplement the platform’s assignments with their own, said Derald Glover, assistant executive director of the Oklahoma Association of School Administrators.

The bare minimum schools should be doing this year is placing a student on a virtual school platform and letting them go, he said.  Additional safeguards teachers can add are class discussions via Zoom, or having students submit videos of themselves explaining their answers.

Glover said he’s encouraging educators to treat online tools as a digital textbook, and design virtual courses themselves.

But that takes time.

“We think it’s going to take most of this year to realistically build really rich teacher-developed (virtual) courses,” Glover said.

At-Home Learning Assumes Parents Can Supervise

Parents are showing little patience to wait. The fervor over inadequate education at home is growing, and the lack of teacher interaction is one of the main reasons.

Norman schools bent to parental pressure and transitioned to in-person school in late September, despite no change in the Cleveland County’s color-coded coronavirus risk designation.

A group of Stillwater parents filed a lawsuit against the district to force a return to classrooms. The district of 6,300 students uses Edgenuity for students who chose full-time virtual learning.

Parent Nicole Wisel wishes her children’s school district, Cimarron Public Schools, would return to paper, pencils and textbooks instead of using Edgenuity.

“We hate it,” said Wisel, who has children in seventh, eighth and 11th grades. “Our teachers are being paid to be proctors, and that’s it. They don’t even know what these kids are doing.”

The prerecorded video lessons are too long, she says, and one of her children, who is autistic, says the instructors in the videos are “creepy.”

Chuck Anglin, Cimarron Public Schools’ superintendent, said he likes to use Edgenuity to offer extra classes in a normal year. Choosing it for virtual learning this year was making “the best of a bad situation,” he said.

He agrees that when kids are learning from home, the onus to prevent cheating is mostly on parents.

“We are not programmed for distance learning,” said Anglin, whose school district is located 12 miles west of Enid. “We are programmed to have the kids there, where we can see their faces, we can read their eyes, we can tell if they are still engaged. We can see if they’re looking around to see if anybody’s watching while they’ve got their phone in their lap.”

Researchers at the National Education Policy Center, a research center at the University of Colorado Boulder, found that relying on a computer program to teach and assess is one of the most detrimental aspects of online education.

The researchers found these programs actually impede and marginalize the teacher’s role. “Teachers may be unable to see how their students earned the designation of mastery of a goal because in some applications, the software, not the teacher, determines questions asked and the grades assigned,” they wrote in a   2019 report .

They also found that students would just look up answers on their computers — in a separate browser or on a smartphone — while taking assessments. The students quickly realize a computer is easy to trick compared to a human teacher.

This is at the heart of the cheating issue. Are students spending school days engaged in live lessons with a local teacher who is crafting curriculum to meet their needs? Or are they watching videos that explain content and clicking through multiple choice questions?

Katie Harris teaches senior English at Oklahoma Virtual Charter Academy, a statewide virtual school run by the national company K12, Inc. In her first year, students turned in a lot of plagiarized essays, she said. Now, she knows she has to rewrite her lessons, assignments, quizzes and tests every year.

“I say, ‘look, if I Google this exact writing prompt, I can find whole essays online. Don’t do that,’” she said.

K12 schools use their own virtual curriculum, not Edgenuity or Exact Path. A plagiarism detection service, Turnitin, automatically scans students’ work.

At Epic Charter Schools, the state’s largest virtual school, teachers can be responsible for students in all grades and subjects — and outside what they are certified to teach. Families can choose from more than a dozen learning platforms (Edgenuity and Exact Path among them), making it particularly difficult to supplement or build their own course.

To prevent cheating, Epic teachers proctor students’ benchmarking tests — in person, if possible, or via video conference, said Shelly Hickman, a spokeswoman for Epic. Teachers also can investigate if there are major discrepancies in a student’s scores on daily work compared to the proctored exams.

But Epic teachers are only   required to meet   with students face-to-face once every three weeks. Some teachers will meet more frequently, depending on the families’ needs.

Online Classes Create a ‘Psychological Distance’

Psychologists who study human behavior have found that most people will cheat — not a lot, but a little. Researcher Dan Ariely calls this the   “fudge factor.” 

Ariely, a professor at Duke University and author of the book   “The Honest Truth About Dishonesty,”   explains how and why cheating in online courses is easier than in a physical classroom.

“Gone are the quaint days of minutely lettered cheat sheets, formulas written on the underside of baseball cap bills, sweat-smeared key words on students’ palms. Now it’s just a student sitting alone at home, looking up answers online and simply filling them in,” he wrote in   this article   eight years ago, when virtual schools were still fairly new to Oklahoma.

He says the physical distance provided by online classes — distance from the teacher, the students, and the school building — creates a psychological distance that “allows people to further relax their moral standards.”

It’s also true that cheating exists on a continuum. Wursten, for instance, drew the line at automating quiz and test answers — the graded content.

Wursten, who graduated in 2019 and is now certified to work in IT, still adds features to his program — called Edgentweaks — as a “fun side project,” and because he wants to help other students avoid the drudgery he once faced.

Meanwhile, Edgenuity has patched his hacks in a virtual game of cat and mouse.

“I’ve found ways that I could automatically get the correct answers for things like tests and quizzes, but I did not actually write a tweak for it because I consider that cheating,” Wursten said. “I don’t intend to actually make a cheat tool.”

Even apps and websites created to assist students on their virtual learning path have been co-opted into cheat tools.

Brainly has a smartphone app that lets students scan homework or test questions, and answers pop up immediately. On Quizlet, another homework help website, entire test keys are posted and shared among students. Even pre-written essays are easily found, students say. Photomath, another app, produces not only the answer to a math problem, but all the steps needed for students to show their work.

Brainly and Quizlet have policies against cheating. But that’s unlikely to deter students, whether they are enrolled in a virtual school or are attending class face-to-face.

Mackenzie Snovel, who graduated from Owasso last year, said she found 90% of the answers for her senior English and history classes online — and even used Brainly to complete her final exam.

She said she didn’t see an issue with looking up answers because “they were classes I needed to graduate and none of that information I will need in my career.”

Technology is No Substitute

With students and teachers separated by distance, some of the academic integrity responsibility falls to the IT department.

They block websites known to be used for cheating. They may facilitate online exam proctoring, where students are monitored while taking a test through their webcam.

At Union Public Schools near Tulsa, the district has implemented several of these security measures but only on school-owned devices. Most students can easily access another device, though.

While Union is using Edgenuity for all middle and high school students who chose virtual this year, teachers will be adding in extra assignments to supplement the online tool, said Gart Morris, the district’s executive director of instructional technology.

“The curriculum in Edgenuity is limited,” he said. “Our own teachers are beefing up the curriculum to meet our standards.”

The district has about 2,700 middle and high school students who chose virtual learning this year. He believes the best tool to combat cheating is cementing the student to teacher relationships.

“It’s always a challenge to get one step ahead. There’s thousands of them and there’s not thousands of us,” Morris said. “You can look at technology in a way to try to prevent cheating but nothing works as well as a good solid relationship between students and an adult.”

Oklahoma Watch reporter Whitney Bryen contributed to this report.

This story is part of a collaboration with  Oklahoma Watch  through FRONTLINE’s Local Journalism Initiative, which is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Jennifer Palmer , Oklahoma Watch

More stories.

Families of Uvalde Shooting Victims Sue Texas DPS Officers for Waiting To Confront Gunman

Where Does School Segregation Stand, 70 Years After Brown v. Board of Education?

‘A Dangerous Assignment’ Director and Reporter Discuss the Risks in Investigating the Powerful in Maduro’s Venezuela

‘It Would Have Been Easier To Look Away’: A Journalist’s Investigation Into Corruption in Maduro’s Venezuela

Documenting police use of force, get our newsletter, follow frontline, frontline newsletter, we answer to no one but you.

You'll receive access to exclusive information and early alerts about our documentaries and investigations.

I'm already subscribed

The FRONTLINE Dispatch

Don't miss an episode. sign-up for the frontline dispatch newsletter., sign-up for the unresolved newsletter..

Advertisement

Trump’s Pattern of Sowing Election Doubt Intensifies in 2024

By Karen Yourish and Charlie Smart

Former President Donald J. Trump has baselessly and publicly cast doubt about the fairness of the 2024 election about once a day, on average, since he announced his candidacy for president, according to an analysis by The New York Times.

Though the tactic is familiar — Mr. Trump raised the specter of a “rigged” election in the 2016 and 2020 cycles, too — his attempts to undermine the 2024 contest are a significant escalation.

Mr. Trump first raised questions about the 2016 election in August of that year, about 100 days before the election.

Aug. 21, 2016

He did so earlier — and more frequently — before the 2020 election.

June 26, 2019

But in the 2024 cycle, the falsehoods have been baked in since Mr. Trump announced his candidacy, almost two years before Election Day. They show no signs of subsiding.

Nov. 18, 2022

Mr. Trump’s refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election had historic consequences. The so-called “Big Lie” — Mr. Trump’s false claim that the election was stolen from him — led to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the United States Capitol and two of four criminal indictments against Mr. Trump, as well as his second impeachment.

But Mr. Trump had planted seeds of doubt among his followers long before Election Day, essentially setting up a no-lose future for himself: Either he would prevail, or the election would be rigged.

He has never given up that framing, which no evidence supports, even well after the end of his presidency. And as he seeks to return to the White House, the same claim has become the backbone of his campaign.

Long before announcing his candidacy, Mr. Trump and his supporters had been falsely claiming that President Biden was “weaponizing” the Justice Department to target him. But it took until March of last year for Mr. Trump to settle on a new accusation: that the multiple legal challenges related to Mr. Trump’s business and political activities constituted a “new way of cheating” in order to “interfere” in the 2024 election. He has made versions of that accusation more than 350 times.

“This is a rigged deal, just as the 2020 election was rigged, and we can’t let them get away with it,” Mr. Trump said on Nov. 18, 2022, three days after announcing his 2024 candidacy. His comments were in response to Attorney General Merrick B. Garland’s appointment of a special counsel to supervise the Justice Department’s criminal investigations related to the events leading up to the Jan. 6 riot and Mr. Trump’s decision to keep classified documents at his Florida resort.

By last summer, Mr. Trump had honed the language and made it a staple of his stump speech: “They rigged the presidential election of 2020, and we’re not going to allow them to rig the presidential election of 2024.”

The Times has documented more than 500 campaign events, social media posts and interviews during the 2024 cycle in which Mr. Trump falsely accused Democrats or others of trying to “rig,” “cheat,” “steal” or otherwise “influence” the next election — or of having done so in 2020.

‘Election interference’ is Trump’s choice accusation in 2024 cycle

Mentions of rigging or similar words

Mentions of election interference or similar words

Mentions of both

Trial started in hush-money case

Trump charged in classified documents case

Trump charged in Jan. 6

and Georgia election interference cases

Trump charged in Manhattan hush-money case

WEEK TRUMP ANNOUNCED 2024 CAMPAIGN

Trump charged in Jan. 6 and Georgia election interference cases

Mentions of election interference

or similar words

Week Trump announced

2024 campaign

Trump charged in Manhattan hush-

Trump charged

in classified

documents case

Trump charged in Jan. 6 and

Georgia election interference

Mr. Trump has adapted the specifics of his accusations with each of the three election cycles. But in each case, his pattern of discourse has followed the same contours. He sows doubt about the legitimacy of the election, and then begins to capitalize on that doubt by alluding to not necessarily accepting the election results — unless, of course, he wins.

This rhetorical strategy — heads, I win; tails, you cheated — is a beloved one for Mr. Trump that predates even his time as a presidential candidate. He called the Emmy Awards “a con game” after his television show “The Apprentice” failed to win in 2004 and 2005. And before he officially became the Republican presidential nominee in 2016, he began to float the possibility that the primary contest was, as he said, “ rigged and boss controlled .”

By May of that year, Mr. Trump spoke plainly about why he had stashed the argument away. “You’ve been hearing me say it’s a rigged system,” he said, “but now I don’t say it anymore because I won.”

Late that summer, with his sights set on the November general election, Mr. Trump tested out a new line, contending that “the media” was “rigging” the election in favor of Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee. His assertions intensified in October after a recording surfaced of him speaking in vulgar terms about women.

“I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election — if I win,” Mr. Trump said at a rally in 2016, three weeks before Election Day. And though he would end up winning the Electoral College and the presidency, his failure to secure the popular vote led him to form a Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity to “prove” that rampant voter fraud was to blame.

In December 2019, well into Mr. Trump’s re-election campaign, the Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives impeached him, saying he used the levers of government to solicit election assistance from Ukraine in the form of investigations to discredit Mr. Biden. Mr. Trump subsequently said that Democrats were using the “impeachment hoax” to “interfere” in the election.

The Covid-19 pandemic gave him a new rallying cry, centered on election integrity: Mail-in ballots were “dangerous,” “fraught with fraud” and were being used to “steal” and “rig” the election, he said.

About six weeks before Election Day in 2020, Mr. Trump refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power. “We want to make sure that the election is honest, and I’m not sure that it can be,” Mr. Trump said.

This time, it was half a year before Election Day 2024 — and after more than a year of pushing the “election interference” line about the criminal charges against him and repeatedly warning that Democrats are “cheating” — that Mr. Trump again placed conditions on his acceptance of election results.

“If everything’s honest, I’ll gladly accept the results,” he said in a May 1 interview with The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “If it’s not, you have to fight for the right of the country.”

• Share full article