Partners in Crime? A Close Look at Cheating!

Abstract

Students and teachers alike, agree to the reality of cheating and to the frequency of its occurrence. Currently, few methods exist to determine the incidence of cheating or the factors that contribute to it. This researcher initially noticed the occurrence while student teaching. As a result this study was designed to investigate three demographic factors and their relationship to cheating frequency. The questions researched were: Does the incidence of cheating increase from grades seven to twelve? Is one sex more likely to cheat than the other? Are students with certain reported grade point averages more likely to cheat than others? Can a survey be designed that determines the honesty of the responses? A survey was designed which consisted of two parts. The first involved an "opinion" survey of fifteen questions, five of which pertained to cheating. The second part related specifically to cheating behaviors. The purpose of the two parts was to confirm, or deny, the honesty of the student's responses. This was confirmed through the use of x2 and Cramer's Phi. The x2 showed a statistically significant difference between the high frequency cheater and the low frequency cheater at the .001 level. Cramer's Phi resulted in a .425, which indicates a moderately strong relationship and is sufficient to establish the test-retest reliability of the instrument. X2 confirmed the results that cheating frequency increases between grades seven and twelve, at the .001 level. Additionally there was a modest indication that sex is a determinant as indicated at the .05 level. Reported grade point average (GPA), however was determined not to be a factor.