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Serving Pikes Peak Community College students |
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By Joe Romero
The findings in a study done by Don McCabe in the “In New CAI Research” released in June this year, showed high levels of cheating among college students. This study was done with 50,000 undergraduates students representing 60 college campuses. Cheating, of course, is a term typically used to refer to a wide variety of behaviors considered to be unethical.
The findings indicated that seven out of 10 students admitted to some cheating; one in four admitted to serious test cheating, and one-half admitted to serious cheating on written assignments. When asked about their use of the Internet, most students admitted to using cut and paste plagiarism-using a sentence without correct citation.
A survey of students in China also showed high levels of cheating and reasons given were for good grades, according to China Youth Study.
Students are under amazing pressures not to fail and lose scholarships. Good students cheat in hopes of obtaining awards for their high grades.
A study done by Andrea L. Rittman, titled "Academic Dishonesty Among College Students," showed again high levels of cheating. Findings showed, "Today, education is not valued for knowledge. It’s valued as the ticket to get a good job.” At Miami University, students cited "pressure for good grades from parents, relatives as the major reason for cheating.” Students believe the main reason for cheating is competition for grades. The emphasis on grades is one of six conditions under which cheating occurs and is ranked as the most important cause of academic dishonesty.
“It has also been found that those who study to learn are less likely to cheat than those who study to get good grades.”
The one theme that stands out through all these findings is the focus of studying, being either to learn or to get good grades. It is clear that the nation’s campuses fall into the group whose focus is in studying for good grades. This focus takes them into a lifestyle of cheating. The minority of students on the other side of the issue study to learn. While interviewing PPCC students at the Centennial Campus, the results were surprisingly different. The two questions asked students were What do you think about cheating? And Do you cheat?
When discussing the subject with three males and one female student at the Centennial Campus student, they said they were were against cheating, did not see any value in it, left the decision to the individual, and, finally, nothing is learned by it. All four students said they do not cheat.
Their responses are in contrast to the nation’s average college student. These students showed a seriousness toward academic learning, a better perspective of the learning process, and learning as part of the process of building for the future. The bottom line is that cheating is cutting short the learning process and will eventually catch up to them. It also shows that these students main focus is to learn and not necessarily to get good grades.
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