Convincing Students Not To Cheat

Dr. Wendy Ghiora – Posting #69 – October 30, 2010

A recent study shows that 95 percent of high school students have cheated. Unbelievable! This makes it all the more imperative, we teach students why cheating is never the right path to choose.

Why Do Students Cheat?
Some of the reasons students give for cheating include: laziness, fear of failure, and the pressures of school. Some even believe, cheating is an acceptable method for succeeding in school. The truth is, cheating is a crime.

Some students cheat because they have no role models to demonstrate honesty on a daily basis in their lives. Another roadblock to deterring this crime is the teachers who simply turn a blind eye to dishonesty. Some cheating may be inadvertent, such as plagiarizing information off the internet. Students need to be taught how to properly use the resources available online.

How do Students Cheat?
According to the new national survey of 2,000 middle and high school students, 35 percent of teens with cell phones say they've used a cell phone at least once to cheat during a test and over half (52 percent) say they've used the Internet to cheat. I’ve heard some teachers have already wised-up to this, and collect cell phones at the door on test day. Anyone caught with a cell phone during the test (whether it is being used or not) automatically fails the exam. Wow! Look how far technology has brought us. I thought it was bad enough when a student turned in his final Senior Term Paper to me. He had downloaded it from the Internet and hadn’t even bothered to remove the original author’s name from the title page. Naturally, his parents were outraged that this actually did affect his final grade in the class. It’s a good thing I had all the students and parents sign an Honesty Policy at the beginning of the year. Oops! Oh yeah. The parents squirmed in their seats as they stared, wide-eyed at their signatures on the aforementioned document.

How do We Stop the Cheating?
What can we as teachers and parents do to encourage students to take the more difficult path, which includes their own critical thinking and organizational skills, rather than copying information word for word authored by someone else and freely available on the Internet? One way is for teachers to make the assignment as interesting and useful to the student as possible. Allow students to choose from a variety of topics, so they will want to use their own voice as they begin to compose.

It may also help to give the students an example of why the “quick and easy” route may not always be the best solution. Ask them to imagine they have been diagnosed with a fatal illness and that their only chance for survival is a very delicate surgery. Ask them how they would feel; if they discovered the doctor about to perform the surgery had cheated all the way through medical school. There will always be a time in life where one is held accountable and responsible for his actions.

Lastly, let your students know, you expect nothing but the best from them. You expect them to improve their critical thinking skills, writing and organizing skills and improve with each piece of work they turn in. You want each of them to acquire all the tools and skills necessary to make it on their own in college or in the career of their choice. They alone will know if they have put in the hard work and effort it takes to achieve this goal. Knowing this alone, will give them the confidence to make their dreams a reality.

Character is higher than intellect. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson