The Nature, Causes and Practices of Academic Dishonesty/ Cheating in Higher Education: The Case of Hawassa University

Abstract

The main objective of the study was to assess the perception of teachers and learners on the nature of practice, the type and the causes of academic cheating (dishonesty) in Hawassa University. The study was basically a survey which employed both qualitative and quantitative approaches to gather data. The subjects were 20 instructors and 60 students who were selected randomly from four colleges/ institutes namely Natural Sciences, Social Sciences and Humanities and Business and Economics Colleges and the Institute of Technology. Moreover, four program coordinators were selected to gather the qualitative data. The data gathering instruments were questionnaire and interview. The findings of the study disclosed that academic dishonest/ cheating, specifically test/ exam related cheatings and plagiarisms on written assignment and papers are prevalent. The practices were caused by the difficulty of the tests/exams, time scarcity, irrelevance of course material, pressure to gate good grades and losing clarity on the policy and the need of having extra points to raise their grades from high commonly confirmed reasons to low commonly confirmed ones. In addition, the study proved that submitting an assignment that was written by someone else, copying material from a published source without giving credit and copying from someone else during a test are the top three unethical behaviors which are prevalent. Therefore, as the acts hamper the quality of education in the level, various stakeholders suggested strategies to curb the challenges as recommendations. These include assisting learners to develop self confidence through delivering question based practical lesson, applying the rules and regulations strictly, developing and revising the existing rules and regulation in line with the sophistication of recent cheating strategies, designing technology based mechanisms, and improving the quality of teachers in the university.

Keywords: Cheating, Plagiarism, Academic Dishonesty, Higher Education