A new study from the University of Nebraska—Lincoln examines the prevalence and perceptions of cheating among high school students.
“Students generally understand what constitutes cheating, but they do it anyway,” said Kenneth Kiewra, professor of educational psychology at UNL and one of the authors of the study. “They cheat on tests, homework assignments and when writing reports. In some cases, though, students simply don’t grasp that some dishonest acts are cheating.”
Key findings of the study show:
- 89 percent said glancing at someone else’s answers during a test was cheating, but 87 percent said they had done that at least once.
- Sixty-two percent said doing individual take-home tests with a partner was cheating, but 51 percent said they’d done so.
- 23 percent said doing individual homework with a partner was dishonest, but 91 percent had done so.
The results suggest that out-of-class misdeeds are viewed less harshly than in-class cheating, Kiewra said—a dynamic that is likely caused by teacher monitoring in class, and, therefore, a greater risk of getting caught. Read the press release here.
WHAT’S THE POINT?
The presence of Turnitin Originality Checking is a front line deterrent from cheating for many students. It reinforces the instructor’s and institution’s position on academic integrity, and at the very least, makes them try a little harder.
References:
Kiewra, Kenneth. (May 11, 2010). Most High Schoolers Cheat — But Don’t Always See It As Cheating. Retrieved May 12, 2010, from http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-05/uon-mhs051110.php .
Turnitin’s tagline is, “Prevent Plagiarism. Engage Students.” We get a lot of comments via our Blog, Twitter, and through other outlets about how Turnitin engages students.
Instructors and students are most familiar with the Turnitin Originality Checking part of the service. The originality reports provide an opportunity for instructors to connect with students to show them proper citation, to identify motivations for improper citation, and to address academic integrity. In other words, it gives instructors a teaching moment.
The PeerMark peer review service allows students to evaluate and learn from one another’s work. PeerMark provides an opportunity for students to develop critical thinking and writing skills through collaboration.
The GradeMark paperless grading service empowers instructors to give students meaningful and legible feedback, not confined to red ink scrawled in the margins of a paper. By providing richer feedback, students can better apply that feedback to their writing.
With Turnitin, there are new opportunities to engage students, better ways to involve them in the writing process, better ways to help them internalize what they are taught. Learn more about engaging students through our WriteCycle Academy series of webinars. Sign up for a live webinar or download previously recorded sessions at:
http://turnitin.com/static/writecycle_academy.html
How do you engage your students with Turnitin? Share your story in the comments section.
Don’t have PeerMark or GradeMark activated yet? Talk to your Turnitin account administrator and let them know you want it!
