STUDENTS are more likely to cheat or plagiarise if the assessment is high-stake, extremely competitive or when they have low expectations of success due to perceived lack of ability or test anxiety. According to researchers and psychologists, the real reasons for cheating vary, but educators can identify them and think critically about solutions.

Cheating in exams is rampant in Pakistani society, especially at matriculation and intermediate levels. Various instances of cheating have been reported this year with evidence of video footage from different cities. There is a whole mafia behind the cheating business.

This year, some armed men barged into an examination centre and threatened the administration and examiners to allow certain students to cheat their way to success.

Educational research on learning suggests that if the students are encouraged to learn with understanding and are able to apply their knowledge, they would be able to retain their learning for a longer period.

An emphasis on conceptual understanding and logical reasoning is important for developing critical thinking in students. But this would happen when an examination system values such learning more than the grades.

Unless the examination system becomes imaginative enough, it is unlikely that teaching and learning in the classrooms will change and the students will be able to articulate their understanding on their own rather than reproduce what they have rote-learned.

Sometimes students feel the need to cheat on final evaluations due to lack of preparation. They must be told that studying throughout the year is more effective than an all-night cram-a-thon. It also helps alleviate stress by taking work and sectioning it into manageable doses.

Hammal Zahid
Tumpe

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2021