From: Parenthood.com
Why Children Cheat and What to Do About It
By Judy Molland
"When all else fails … cheat," reads the promotional advertising for
Slackers, a film that features college students. A well-known author
admits copying several passages for her best-selling book.
Corporate executives amass fortunes while their employees lose
their retirement income. The news is full of examples suggesting
that cheating does, in fact, help one find success.
Surprisingly, such examples of dishonesty in society at large appear
to have little direct impact on school-age children. According to high
school principal Cliff Moore, who conducted an informal survey of his
students, not many kids perceive the outside world as a model.
They may be receiving our culture's subtle messages, but they don't
articulate them as influences on their own behavior.
Fifth-grade teacher Barbara Forster is even more emphatic: "My
students don't make those connections to the bigger society beyond
the classroom. Kids are very caught up in their own immediate
world, and that's really all that exists for them."
So why do children cheat?
Experts agree that the reasons vary, depending on the age of the child. Younger children may look
over another child's paper, but don't see this behavior as dishonest, explains Darrell Rud, president of
the National Association of Elementary School Principals. Rud sees such behavior emerging in first or
second grade, when students are given increasing numbers of worksheets and the level of difficulty
can cause them to feel overwhelmed. The intention is not to cheat, but to keep up.
Conscious cheating starts around the age of 8 or 9, when children can conceive that they are taking
responsibility for a piece of work, according to Joe di Prisco, co-author of Right from Wrong: Instilling
a Sense of Integrity in Your Child. This coincides with the introduction of letter grades in many
American schools, which may cause students to feel greater pressure to succeed.
As one fifth-grader put it, "your parents tell you not to cheat, and you know you shouldn't cheat, but
you feel pressured because you also know that your parents feel that the grade is the most important
thing."
As students move up through middle and high school, the pressure to succeed grows, coming not just
from parents, but also from peers, from teachers and school administrators, and from the need to get
into a good college. The general consensus after Moore's survey of his high school students was that
"everybody does it at least once," and that made it OK.
Children may also cheat to help their buddies (by giving a paper to a friend who is going to be
suspended from the football team, for example) or they may behave in dishonest ways because they
believe the school doesn't care.
How Students Cheat
Just as the reasons for cheating vary, so do the methods. With younger children, cheating mostly
takes the shape of copying another student's work. As kids get older and tests and homework build
up, youngsters may be tempted to take shortcuts. Two students may agree to do half the assignment
each and share their answers, for example.
When groups of students take the same test at different times, the group that has taken it first can
tell the second group what to expect.
"Even though you know that you shouldn't listen, how do you ignore information that is being directly
told to you?" says one fifth-grader.
This example underlines both the temptation to and the ease with which kids can share this kind of
information.
Several middle- and high-school teachers we interviewed brought up the issue of writing. As Barbara
Forster explains, children have to learn reporting and writing skills. Before her students begin a
research project, Forster always talks with them about how to paraphrase an idea using their own
words. In the lower grades, while young children are learning these skills, plagiarism may be
inadvertent. In the upper grades, it is frequently intentional.
Internet plagiarism in particular appears to be a widespread and growing problem. High school teacher
Christine Pelton recently found that 28 of her 118 sophomore students had stolen sections of their
botany project off the Internet.
Educators around the country agree that technology has improved a student's ability to cheat. There
are currently more than 20 so-called "cheat sites" on the Internet, where students can download an
entire paper on their chosen topic.
In a 1999 study carried out by the Center for Academic Integrity in North Carolina, 75 percent of
college students surveyed on 21 U.S. campuses admitted to some Internet cheating. Programmable
calculators are another example of how technology is making cheating accessible to more students.
Schools Response
Teachers should respond swiftly and frankly to cheating, according to Karen E. Bohlin, executive
director of the Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character at Boston University, and coauthor of Building Character in Schools. "They should call a spade a spade," she emphasizes. "This is
dishonest; this is taking someone else's work."
Teachers need to be more than "plagiarism police," she adds, they also need to discuss the
importance of respecting other people's ideas, and help children aspire to honesty, taking pride in
their own work, and experiencing the joys of learning.
When it is so easy to download a paper from the Internet, there has to be a compelling reason for
students not to do these things. Educational experts agree that the real goal should be to help children
develop the dispositions of mind and character that will stay with them for a lifetime, not just as
practices for the classroom.
To help students understand what cheating is, elementary and middle schools often post specific lists:
"You may call and ask a friend what the homework is, but you may not have a friend do that
homework" or "Your parents can go with you to help buy materials for a project, or help you if there is
something dangerous about the project, but your parents should not do the project."
In most schools, the consequences for cheating are fairly standard: the first time a student is caught
cheating, he receives a zero on that assignment and must have a conference with the teacher. In
addition, there is a referral to the administration resulting in a meeting with all the parties involved.
For a second offense in the same school year, the penalties get much more serious - the student may
be removed from the class, receive a grade of "F" or become ineligible for extracurricular activities.
Parents' Response
If your child is caught cheating, you should consider yourself lucky, di Prisco says. "Now you have an
opportunity to address the issue directly," he explains.
Rud agrees: "If your child is caught cheating, my first piece of advice is to be open-minded and go
and hear both sides of the story. Once you do, you may indeed find clear evidence that your child was
cheating."
Parents tend to be very embarrassed, and denial tends to be one of the first reactions, Rud explains.
Educational psychologists agree that it's important for parents to recognize that the world will not end
if their child cheats, but that it does get more serious if cheating becomes a pattern. They urge
parents to try to discover and address the root causes of their child's cheating.
Di Prisco notes that there are many reasons to cheat, but ultimately only one reason not to cheat:
integrity. "It's a good starting point to acknowledge with your child that it's hard to have integrity and
that people make mistakes," he says, adding that children need to have these limits made explicit for
them.
"They know that cheating is wrong," di Prisco says. "Every healthy conversation around plagiarism and
academic dishonesty is really about focusing on the kid's strengths. Kids want to do the right thing,
but you need to connect the dots for them. Kids don't want to misrepresent themselves, so you need
them to see that this is exactly what they are doing when they pass off someone else's work as their
own."
Judy Molland is a veteran teacher, contributing education editor for Dominion Parenting Media and a
frequent contributor to Parenthood.com.
Source: http://www.parenthood.com/article-topics/article-topics.php?Article_ID=10907
From: suite101.com
Cheating in the Classroom
What to do When a Student Copies During a Test
© Dorit Sasson
May 13, 2007
How clear is the code of cheating to your students? What can you do about it?
Cheating is becoming more and more of a problematic issue in education in many classrooms around the world.
The issue of cheating is far however from being solved: cell phones and text messages have become an additional
culprit for cheating on tests and it is uncertain how future technology will continue to affect the cheating situation.
Causes for Cheating in School
Students cheat because of many reasons, the main being that they don't feel they can succeed on the the test and as
a result, they feel a need to cover up for whatever weaknesses they may have.
In the meantime however, it is important for you to know where you as a new or seasoned teacher stand with regard
to cheating in elementary, middle and High School. It is also equally important to know what other teachers'
feelings regarding cheating. Do they...
1. Feel strongly about cheating, respond strongly when it happens?
2. Punish it when it happens, but don't convey strong indignation.
3. Respond not very assertively, would really rather not know.
4. Don't take any notice.
Stop Cheating in School: Classroom scenarios before the test
The atmosphere at school can definitely exacerbate the cheating situation. But, there are instances when a child
believes in his or her ability to succeed, which has a positive effect on his or her learning and self-esteem.
When students plan and design their own test questions together for instance, with the teacher and under teacher
supervision and guidance they are not only digesting the information, but they are working towards higher level
thinking skills, which are not always taught in conjunction with the child's needs and abilities. Test administration can
be rethought to to lay out new expectations regarding class time for preparation for tests.
What Should You Do?
If you find yourself still in an awkward situation, unable to stretch beyond the curriculum definitions and limitations, it
is important to find out what is the school policy on cheating so that you know where you stand in case you do run
into instances of cheating.
Your first line of defense is to prepare multiple versions of the same test. This is completely free shareware. It works
for all questions. You can download a copy from this site. Just click on the header on the top of the page.
In addition, here is a list of responses, which might be part of your school policy or you might wish to bring it up with
your school staff. What other reactions prevail by other teachers regarding cheating?

no credit for the test or assignment cheated on

negative grade on the test or assignment

sent to the principal

sent to the class teacher

private talk with the teacher

discussion with the whole class (no names mentioned) on rights and wrongs. (follow-up, should be
immediate)

class discussion leading to clarification of rules and penalties about cheating. (follow-up, should be
immediate)
It should be very clear to pupils about the code of cheating and what types of behavior will not be tolerated. Kids are
always looking where to stretch the limits (especially now with the new technology )and it is important that you are
backed up by school policy and / or the decisions of your particular staff, before you commit to informing the students
on a consequence that has not been implemented previously.
Classroom Situations: Have you come across cheating in one of your classes? What happened? Join the
discussion forum and share your experiences.
From: Tallahassee Community College, Academic Affairs, Division of Library
Services
Cheating Prevention in College Classrooms
Cheating on tests, plagiarizing papers, how insidious and ubiquitous is the problem Statistics vary, but recent studies indicate "more than 75% of college undergraduates had cheated
at least once - an all-time high - and 20-30 % regularly". (1) Who's Who Among American High
School Students found that 80% of a recent group of 700,000 top students admitted to cheating.
(2) Cheating in academic settings has reached an all-time high, and become so widespread that
TV's Dr. Phil even devoted part of a recent program to this phenomenon, hosting a teacher and
several students to discuss the cheating situation in their school. Using a smart-board, he
demonstrated how some instructors use Turnitin.com* to have students run their papers through the
program and attach the print-out report to their paper when they submit it to the instructor.
~ Blue Books ~ Body Parts ~ Cell Phones ~ Changing Answers ~ Codes ~ Copying ~ Crib Sheets ~ Etched Pencils ~
Gum Wrappers ~ Hats ~ Illegal Access to Tests ~ Impersonation ~ IPods ~ Plagiarism ~ Search Engine Translation ~
Water Bottles ~
~ Articles online ~ Books ~ Videos ~ Web Sites ~
Quizzes and Examinations
In an effort to assist TCC faculty in detecting and thwarting attempts at cheating on classroom
exams, the following list has been prepared based on reports from students and faculty, articles
from magazines and newspapers, databases, websites, and media programs. If you are aware of
other techniques not represented on this list, please let us know library@tcc.fl.edu and we'll add those
in to share with your colleagues. Our intention is to assist in preventing cheating from occurring.
Some old methods have a new twist to them, and there may be some you've never heard of !
For our students reading this document, it isn't a list of suggestions ! Indeed, if you try these in a
classroom, you're more likely to get caught as more faculty are now aware of the possibilities.
First offense students caught cheating are in violation of the TCC Student Handbook, Standards of
Conduct, Article I sec P, and Article IV, sec B, and are subject to sanctions included in Article
V, sec B, which can include a grade of zero (0) for the exam, a grade of "F" for the course, and a
written entry in their academic file. Further infractions invoke other procedures as listed.
Cell Phones
- ah yes, those annoying devices have become a key player in a lot of cheating on exams these
days - for example -




- - using the phone to take a picture of the exam page/s to send to other students
- - using the phone to store information to be retrieved at a later time
- - text-messaging - some students have become so adept at this that they can type in a message
while holding the phone under the desk out of sight, then wait for the vibration of an answer
from a co-conspirator and surreptitiously read the reply.
- - searching the Internet to look up facts and information online while taking a test
Suggested: BAN ALL CELLPHONE handling in the classroom. Cellphones must either
remain inside a closed backback or purse from the time the test is distributed until the student
leaves the classroom, or if students lack a backpack or purse, collect the phones on a desk near
the instructor or in the front of the room prior to distributing the exam. Announcing this policy in
class prior to the exam may be useful as a deterrent.
Ban Other Electronic Gadgets that can be programmed include graphing calculators, Personal
Digital Assistants (PDAs) , programmable watches, palm pilots, and of course laptop computers.
Those headphones may not be playing music from an IPod, instead, students have pre-recorded
information and are listening to audio-crib information! There have even been reported instances
at the university level of micro-video cameras used with co-conspirators in nearby locations
sending answers back to the test-taker on communication devices. James Bond 007 in the
classroom.
Water Bottles
- new version of crib sheets - seems some students have been found to have peeled off the labels,
written data on the label, then replaced the label covering back on the bottle - except that when
you look into the bottle you can read the formulas / dates / or other recorded information hidden
on the inside.
Suggestion: BAN WATER BOTTLES from visible access. Give students options to: Zip it up
inside backpack, leave it in front of classroom near instructors desk, or trash it.
Old Fashioned Cheat/Crib Sheets
are still around and with computer technology they are easier then ever, since students can type
up multiple 'cheat sheets' of information, reduce the font-size down to itsy-bitsy, making them
much smaller then a handwritten copy might be, then tuck them away inside a calculator cover,
hide up a sleeve, in a pocket, inside a blue book, inside the brim of a cap, head scarves, etc. One
on-line cheat guide suggests making them small enough to eat in case a suspicious instructor
comes by. Use of food packages, gum, chips, cookies, etc are also popular items for crib sheets .
Suggestion: constant vigilance for clandestine behavior. No Food items allowed. One study
found that an instructor leaving the classroom during an exam or other students not covering
their papers were interpreted as open invitations to cheat. (3) Enlist additional proctors for large
classrooms so more then one set of eyes is keeping everyone honest.
Pencils and Pens
another version of the ever popular crib sheet, this involves etching with a razor or pin on a
pencil, not more then 4 sides, so that with a simple turn the evidence is hidden from anyone
walking by - and using clear labels printed off a computer with tiny font wrapped onto pens.
Having several pens or pencils on the desk isn't usually cause for concern.
Suggestions: Limit the number of items a student can have on their desk, and continue vigilance
for suspicious behavior.
Blue Books
Another variation of the crib sheet is to insert a page or two into a blue book to copy from during
the exam. With reduced font, a lot of information can be squeezed into a small page !
Suggestion: have students stack their blue books as they enter the room. When you are ready to
distribute the exams and the desks are cleared, randomly distribute the blue books among the
students. Announcing this practice a class period ahead of the exam will likely deter this method.
Writing on Body Parts
We've all known about students writing on their arms, covered up with sleeves, until they need to
peek at the information hidden away. Writing on ankles, then pulling down socks when the need
arises, etc.
Dr. Phil brought up a new one, female students wearing short skirts or low-cut tops and writing
on their inside thighs and/or cleavage, relying on faculty not staring at their laps or chests in the
classroom.
Suggestion: constant vigilance for clandestine behavior, shifting of apparel, although
admittable this could be a difficult situation.
Copying Answers from Another Students Paper,
with or without their knowledge and assistance. Old fashioned, but still in use apparently
according to research.
Suggestions: besides constant vigilance, if space permits spreading students apart is an easy
way to combat this method, change usual seating patterns, and using a test-bank program to
produce several versions of the same set of questions so the order of the questions will be
different is another route when extra space not available. This form of cheating is easiest with
multiple choice questions. Sit or stand in the back of the room during part of the test.
Cheaters will usually turn see where you are, which makes it easy to keep an eye on them.
Illegal Access to an Exam. Obtaining an advance copy prior to the exam date.
Suggestions: keep exams and other office items [ie computer files] secure, locked down. Using
the same version of an exam semester after semester is inviting copies to flourish. You can bet a
copy will get out into circulation. Instead, use a test-bank program to store favorite questions and
print the exams in several versions to prevent answer-keys from circulating.
Changing Answers on a Graded Exam.
You've graded the exams, handed them back and then a student asks to be re-graded, claiming
their answers were correct and the grading was wrong.
Suggestions: To prevent additional material from being added to an already graded essay or
short-answer write-in question, mark the end of the original answer with a dash or line in a
colored ink while reading the student's answer: or in the case of multiple choice answers, draw a
line down the page thru the answers so erasures would be evident.
Impersonation: Having Someone Else Take Their Exam.
Easier to get away with in big classes. While class rosters now have pictures, hair styles can
change, photos are less then perfectly clear, hats can distort the image.
Suggestions: inform students that they will be expected to provide a current student ID card
and/or a driver's license in order to take the exam.
Hats
and speaking of hats, those items can be used to hide crib sheets and prevent instructors from
seeing the student's face while the students eyes are looking at a neighbor's test form.
Suggestions: Ban hats altogether, or require student to turn the brim around to the back so their
faces are completely visable. This will also make handling a crib sheet more difficult.
Search Engine Translation
For this method, the student instructs the search engine (Ex Google) to find items on their topic
in another language (Ex Spanish), then has the Search Engine translate the essay into English since the paper didn't originally appear in English, locating this plagiarized copy will be much
more difficult. Such translated essays are likely to have grammer and syntax errors unless the
student takes the time to clean it up.
Suggestion: be sure to have other writing samples from the student on file for comparision.
Require students to submit drafts as well as the final paper, and copies of all their source
materials. TCC Library and computer labs provide free printing ! Check for citations of their
sources within the paper. Use Turnitin.com
What Can Faculty Do to Reduce Cheating Attempts -
Students report the most effective methods to prevent cheating are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Scrambled test forms 81.6%
Small classes 69.8%
using numerous proctors 68.4%
different make-up exams 68.4%
several distinct test forms 66.6%
"Academic Dishonesty & the Perceived Effectiveness of Countermeasures: an Empirical Survey
of Cheating at a Major Public University." NASPA Journal, 1996
U. S. News & World Report found 1/3 of faculty from 21 difference campuses said "they had
observed cheating in their classes and did nothing about it". (CQ) The most common reason
given is that the process of administering consequences to a student that denies having cheated
and demands due process review is time consuming.
Combating plagiarism: CQ Researcher reports studies indicate 40% of college students have
plagiarized sources at least once. (Sept 19, 2003). Suggestions to reduce plagiarism in your
classroom assignment:

o
o
o
o
explain plagiarism - many students are patently unaware of their responsibility to cite
sources and how to paraphrase
collect writing sample at beginning of class
collect notes, outlines & rough drafts along with the completed papers
use Turnitin.com
Source:
http://www.tcc.fl.edu/about_tcc/academic_affairs/division_of_library_services/faculty_library_resourc
es/cheating_prevention_in_college_classrooms