Why we cheat
Ermias
.
• Education is the key to solve multi dimensional problems of a society through knowledge. Thus, many countries
of the world engaged in ensuring the access of education to their citizens. However, quality of Education has
been drawing the attention of scholars across the world these days. Academic achievement is often used as an
indicator of schools quality because it is easily measurable using standardized tests, while other outcomes may
be more complex and less tangible (SIDA, 2000). This means, quality of education can be determined by proper
assessment of academic achievement measurements such as tests/ exams and assignments. Scholars of education
underscore the students’ assessment strategies as a core part in insuring quality. In reality, student assessment
should be regarded as a complex, multidimensional activity that requires alignment, balance and rigor in order to
assure quality outcomes (Joughin, & Macdonald, 2004). To ensure rigorous assessment, academic cheating must
be minimized. If there are unethical practices, like cheating in the process of administering such kind of tools,
the quality of education will be questioned as well. Academic cheating can occur at either the institutional or
individual level. In institutional cheating, a higher education institution might attempt to inflate scores, perhaps
to ensure that its students do well. This might happen on transnational programmes where the awarding body is
an external service provider. In such a case, it is in the interest of the local service provider to inflate scores so as
to maintain market share. However, the negative impact on quality will be significant if the awarding body or the
accrediting body does not have a rigorous quality assurance system to limit such practices. Academic dishonesty,
which compromises the quality of education, is becoming the concern of most of the academic institutions in
Ethiopia. The researchers experience indicates that Hawassa Univeristy also shares the concern as a number of
instructors and students are complaining about the growing practice of cheating and plagiarism on exams and
written works. Therefore, it is ideal to investigate the causes, the trends of the practices and the perceptions of
stakeholders before these acts impede the overall quality of education.
• Types of Academic Dishonesty In the academic environment, academic dishonesty can be explained in different ways. In
most cases, in Ethiopia, the practices are being manifested in the form of cheating exams and plagiarism (papers and
assignments). Academic dishonesty may be categorized as exam cheating and plagiarism based on the nature of the acts. In
cheating exams, Etter [Link] (2006) state that we can have a list of activities including copying from others, having or using
notes, formulas or other information in a programmable calculator or other electronic device without explicit teacher
review and permission, having or using a communication device such as a cell phone, pager, or electronic translator to
send or obtain unauthorized information, taking an exam for another student, or permitting someone else to take a test for
someone else and asking another to give you improper assistance, including offering money or other benefits and etc.
Secondly, under plagiarism, practices like, giving or getting improper assistance on an assignment meant to be individual
work, including in any assignment turned in for credit any materials not based on your own research and writing; this
includes: using the services of a commercial term paper company, using the services of another student and copying part or
all of another person’s paper and submitting it as your own for an assignment (Mitchell, 2008; Brimble & Stevenson,
2005).). In addition, acting as a provider of paper(s) for a student or students, submitting substantial portions of the same
academic work for credit in more than one course without consulting both teachers (self-plagiarism), failing to properly
acknowledge paraphrased materials via textual attribution, footnotes, endnotes and/or a bibliography and citing
nonexistent sources (articles, books, etc.) are seriously considered as acts of plagiarism. In the Ethiopian context, though
there are differences in the widespread of the acts, both forms of dishonesties are observed in the academic institutions.
However, experiences revealed that the former one is prevalent in all academic levels. The later one, plagiarism, is very
common in higher education: universities and college