What drives students to cheat on a test? Why would they risk their whole academic career in attempting to get a better grade on a single assignment? Many students justify their actions with the idea that they need to do anything to get the A or to just pass the class.
In the face of suspension or expulsion, students are still more than willing to risk those repercussions for a good grade on one test or one assignment.
“The main reasons to cheat for me is that I was running low on time for an assignment,” said a history major who was accepted to a military academy.
Academic cheating can take many forms, from sharing your work with someone else to plagiarism. Anything that shows you representing someone else’s work as your own meets that definition.
“I’ve cheated before because of how important one assignment or test can be to your overall grade,” an animal science student said.
A study conducted by Ad Council, a group that conducts research and publishes public service ads, showed that 95 percent of cheaters do not get caught. For many students, then, the risk is worth the reward.
Many argue that the use of technology, laptops and cellphones in classrooms has contributed to this exponential growth in cheating rates over the past few decades. Smartphones in particular have made this much easier for students to look at notes, look up answers or even take pictures of exams to send to their friends.
“I’ve shared my work with others to help lower the workload for the both of us, especially on really busy weeks,” a business student said. Helping each other on tests and assignments allows students to alleviate some stress caused by the workloads of rigorous courses.
Think about yourself and your friends, in college and high school, and how many have been caught cheating – likely not many. With the number being so small it makes sense that students don’t see the consequences and get more comfortable with cheating.
“Passing is passing,” said a rangeland management major. “It’s only wrong if I get caught doing it, which isn’t all that likely to happen.”
Ed. note – Names have been withheld to avoid implicating sources with department administrators.
