Cheating in our schools has reached epidemic proportions. Why do students cheat? What can you do to prevent it? Some answers to these questions and much more in this article which features an in-depth interview with one of the nation's foremost authorities on the subject, Gary Niels.
Why do students cheat?
- Everybody does it!
- Unrealistic demands for academic achievement by state education boards
- Expediency or the easy way out
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 it's our fault, isn't it? We adults encourage young people to cheat! Take multiple choice tests, for example: they literally invite you to cheat. Cheating, after all, is nothing more than a game of wits as far as teenagers are concerned. Kids delight in pulling the wool over adult eyes, if they can.
While cheating is discouraged in private schools by tough Codes of Behavior which are enforced, cheating exists nonetheless. It helps that private schools devise tests which require written answers rather than multiple guess answers. That's more work for teachers to mark, but eliminates much cheating.
Unrealistic demands for academic achievement by state and federal education authorities.
The public education bureaucracy answers to political masters. State legislatures, state boards of education, local boards of education, unions, and countless other organizations demand action to correct the continuing failings of our nation's public education system. In a word: it's all about accountability. As a result, students must take standardized tests so that we can compare apples to apples. In the classroom these tests mean that a teacher must achieve the expected results or better, or she's in plenty of hot water! So instead of teaching your child how to think, she teaches your child how to pass the test. No Child Left Behind is driving most of the assessment teaching these days. Educators really have no option but to produce the best possible results. To do that they must teach solely to the test or else.
The best antidotes for cheating are teachers who fill children with a love of learning, who impart some idea of life's possibilities and who understand that assessment is merely a means to an end, not the end itself. A meaningful curriculum will shift the focus from learning boring lists of irrelevant facts to exploring subjects in depth.
Expediency or the easy way out
Years ago cheaters lifted whole passages from an encyclopedia and called them their own. That was plagiarism! Still is! Plagiarism's newest incarnation is dead easy: you simply point and click your way to the site with the relevant information, swipe and paste it, reformat it somewhat and it's yours. Need to write a paper in a hurry? You can quickly find a site which will oblige for a fee. Or go to a chat room and swap papers and projects with students nationwide. Perhaps you'd prefer to cheat using texting or email. Both work just fine for that purpose. Sadly, many teachers have not learned the subtleties of internet cheating
Solutions?
Schools need to have zero tolerance policies concerning cheating.
Teachers must be vigilant and alert to all the newer forms of cheating, particularly those using the new technologies. Did you know that cell phones can access the internet to look up answers? How about iPods loaded with test answers instead of tunes? The possibilities for electronic cheating are limited only by your students' imaginations. How do you fight that kind of brain power? Always fight fire with fire! Do some sleuthing with both student and adult geeks. Their exploits and perspective will help you fight electronic cheating.
Teachers
Ultimately the best solution is to make learning exciting and absorbing. Involve students in the learning process. Allow them to buy into the process. Empower them to guide and direct their learning. Finally, do everything you can to make assignments meaningful and interesting for your students.
Parents
We parents have a huge role to play in combating cheating. After all, our children will mimic almost everything we do. We must set the right sort of example for them to copy. We must also take a genuine interest in our children's work. Ask to see everything and anything! Discuss everything and anything!
Students
Students must learn to be true to themselves and their own core values. Don't let peer pressure and other influences steal your dream. If you are caught, cheating has serious consequences.
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