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Cheating - a Moral Dilemma Influencing Academic Dishonesty

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Cheating - a Moral Dilemma Influencing Academic Dishonesty Cheating - A Moral Dilemma Influencing Academic Dishonesty Farhat N. Husain Quality Excellence for Educational Consultancy W.L.L E-mail: [email protected] Received: January 30, 2021; Revised: June 4, 2021; Accepted June 17, 2021 ABSTRACT: Academic dishonesty has always been frowned upon in the educational environment and is definitely a challenge for online learning. The objective of this research was to examine factors leading to fear during the assessments that influence academic dishonesty and could destroy students’ ethics. The study used a mixed method research and examined the students’ emotions to further explore that the students’ self-esteem was connected with their ethics. The questionnaire was administered online to collect data from a pilot group of 30 students from different secondary schools. Data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics. The different situational factors: students unprepared, unsupervised assessment, influences from others, responsible for emotional fear factor, giving rise to emotional response and its intensity towards students’ action were examined by the use of Ekman’s model of “Atlas of Emotions”. From the study of related literature, research articles, reports, it was found that students at both undergraduate and graduate levels admitted they cheated on the tests. To avoid the emotional pain, students cheated in exams. It was found that there was a coefficient r = 0.7 indicating positive correlation between self-esteem and student ethics, based on Pearson’s correlation. Key words: Academic dishonesty, Fear, Emotion, Pleasure and Pain, Self-Esteem 1. Introduction calmness and tranquility gives one pleasure Let us take up a scenario that what according to their own justified reason. if anyone gets an opportunity to deceive Utilitarianism distinguishes right during tests or assignments as a student, from wrong based on the consequences by how many students would avail this as an making ethical choices as this is a form of opportunity? And so whatever the reasons consequentialism, which promotes for this temptation be, would it not leave a “greatest happiness”, which actually sets no person to pave a way to next level, with value to pain and rejoices pleasure at any flying colors. Just the mere thought of it, given cost. Looking at the concept of does it not give wings to the stress, allowing Utilitarianism, which looks at acquiring it to fly away. As a result, the sense of pleasure rather than pain and Eudemonia simply means “less wrong”, this concept is Vol. 10 No. 1 January – June 2021 Page 137 regarded as one step higher than would emotions be given any importance Utilitarianism which deals with perfect for the students being involved in academic rationality of knowing everything that was dishonesty? really happening (Draklight, 2013), and 1.1 Academic Dishonesty: utilitarianism takes only pleasure as moral Academic dishonesty is a method of intrinsic value; where pain has no moral deceiving, that represents other person’s value without reasoning, which devalues work as their own or even getting assisted pain; however, values happiness more. by other students. Apparently, academic However, according to Plato, if the dishonesty may vary in practice in different consequences of pleasure is bad, the action regions (Mills.W, 2010). As per Rettinger, initially taken is condemned by the people high school students are completely which is regarded bad as well (Zimmerman oblivious to the consequences of cheating et al., 2019). Socrates also stated that of this immoral action (Simmons.A, 2018). pleasure could result in evil, if the cause in first place was for the use of an evil 1.2 Student Ethics and Integrity: pleasure, which resulted in pain, example Leading among many factors food, sex, drinking etc. (Zimmerman et al., influencing and being affected, students’ 2019). Now as for the emotions that are ethics plays a great role in building up their concerned, it also has intrinsic value, being character or dignity. Academic dishonesty part of Eudemonic Utilitarianism, where may lead to of the destruction of students’ the decision of the moral action is part of ethics, as ethics is considered to maintain reasoning and rationality, by taking in the students’ integrity. This unethical consideration of the power of heart and not behavior is seen as “corrupt” or “bad” of the mind. However, as for the actions in practice. This has come from a Latin word virtue ethics, it plays a significant role, as “integer” and “integritas”, which means as the emotional dimensions cannot be a whole (Macfarlane.B, et al., 2012). This is ignored, because it being the main essence a virtue in moral education. Integrity is of the soul of human being (Kuangfei X, based on basic values of honesty, trust, respect etc. (Jurdi.R et al., 2012). 2015). As an educator and an assessment 1.3 Self-esteem: consultant, the assessments have always Low self-esteem might be been a very reliable tool when assessing considered as one of the reason that students’ progress, but looking at the fact influences the academic dishonesty as the that due to the different situational factors, teachers assign activities or tests, the the students get involved in deception students may get the opportunity to deceive. intentionally or not-intentionally, example It is seen that not only the students’ ethics , students with low self-esteem who might may be questioned but also schools’ be the low level ability students, when they credibility and reputation may fall in are not appreciated in the class might lead jeopardy. This may be due to many factors, them to search for different means to such as students may be being deceive during assessments, which might underappreciated; probably they are also lead to jeopardizing students’ ethics. influenced by others, simply because they So would these manifested actions, be the are doing it. Students’ low confidence level only one to be taken into consideration or and low self-esteem (Lutz, 2014), the Page 138 : APHEIT INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL students’ ability to learn and better students is others’ influence in deceiving or performance ability may diminish, which cheating. The engagement of this unethical might lead to an incomplete and unfulfilled behavior is due to the fact that they are life trying to find easy way out in the long motivated by the perception of others to be run. If the action of deceiving is considered dishonest, which may elicit the desire to be to be immoral, the factors or causes of one's deceptive. Also, the students with lower emotions resulting in deceiving, are they ability who are not supported by teachers being taken into consideration? are liable to deceive more as compared to The situational factors, also known high level ability students (Mill.W,2010), as the external factors are one of the which might be done with some intentions circumstances which influences academic to seek pleasure. dishonesty, such as fear of failure, pressure 1.6 Unappreciated by the teachers: from the parents (Rauthman J.F, 2017), or The students might not be fully to score better results, culture memorization recognized and also not being appreciated as this is seen as not-intentional and by their teachers whether it be an online common practice. etc. Due to some of the session or conventional classroom, which factors influencing academic dishonesty, might lead to being deceptive due to low some students are willing to gamble as they self-esteem. The instructors represent as the are sure that they can get away with it leaders of the classroom, unfortunately, (Simmons.A,2018). may judge the students on their ability to 4.1 Different Situational Factors influencing perform and might adopt a strategy that Academic Dishonesty: some of the students in the classroom who In this digital age, an increase in might not have the ability to perform well cheating threatens integrity and gives rise to (Gannon & Boguszak,2013) and might be many factors influencing academic labeled as low achievers, by placing their dishonesty, questioning students’ ethics and own assumptions and judgement. The self–esteem (Sanchez,2019). These students emotions are not understood as the offenses may be carried out by the students instructors don’t get to know them and this specifically during the learning and might affect the student-teacher assessment environment which may give relationship. rise to questioning, as to why students are 1.7 Unsupervised Online assessments: more inclined towards making choices that Due to the pandemic 2020, as may make an argument toward academic almost around 87% of world’s student dishonesty, jeopardizing their moral values population (UNESCO 2020, McGee 2013), and sense of prudence not only for now but education was moved from conventional to also affecting their future in the long run. online platform, and this gave rise to online Students might be undergoing emotional teaching-learning. There are chances that roller coaster ride, which are hardly looked there might not be direct supervision in the upon. online learning environment from the 1.5 Influence of others: teacher’s side. This situation may give the One of the situational factors that perfect opportunity to the students to be may also be the influence of academic dishonest academically during online dishonesty causing low self-esteem in assessments. Chances are when the students Vol. 10 No. 1 January – June 2021 Page 139 are not given attention as the teachers According to the International focuses on the high achievers, this might Center of Academic Integrity (ICAI), the create low self-esteem for few of them and past 12 years’ statistics revealed that the may encourage students to deceive as they graduate students’ and under graduate don’t have the confidence to prove students’ responses revealed that 17% themselves that they are better than others. graduates and 39% undergraduates Therefore, students with low self-esteem accepted that they cheated on tests, cheating may get involved in cheating (McGee, in written assignments 42% and 62% 2013).
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