How to Curb Academic Dishonesty

I’m growing increasingly uneasy over and frightened by the escalating pervasiveness of academic dishonesty. Statistics fluctuate and are difficult to come by, but according to one 1998 study, conducted by the Ad Council and The Educational Testing Service, upward of 98% of college students report having cheated in high school.

A 2011 study conducted by the Josephson Institute surveyed 43,000 high school students in public and private schools. “Rampant cheating in school continues,” the report reads. “A majority of students (59 percent) admitted cheating on a test during the last year, with 34 percent doing it more than two times. One in three admitted they used the Internet to plagiarize an assignment.”

It’s possible that these findings are deceptive, and that today’s students are simply more forthcoming than those who went to school several decades ago. But I tend to doubt it, especially as teachers (and society at large) place increasing emphasis on grades and high-stakes testing.

For deeper insight, last week I reached out to Prof. Earl Babbie, author of the short but insightful paper, “Avoiding Plagiarism: And Avoiding the Dean’s Office.” Babbie tells me, “The thing that worries me most is that a culture starts to develop around that where ‘everyone’s [plagiarizing].’ Everyone isn’t doing it, but as long as that’s the perception, then it makes it that much easier to do it. That’s true for any kind of deviance.”

Students need to know that plagiarism, or academic dishonesty of any kind, isn’t at all akin to a minor offense like jaywalking. It’s a serious academic breach, and unlike jaywalking, everybody isn’t committing it. I don’t mean for teachers to scare their charges into obedience, but at the same time, students need to know the seriousness of cheating, and what can come from such behavior.

Certainly, students shoulder much of the blame for any sort of academic dishonesty. Still, it’s helpful to consider how teachers should respond to this problem. Here are some suggestions:

How can teachers help keep students honest? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section.