Cheating in School can be Cured

Expert says that cheating in school can be reduced if schools start to think differently about the way students learn.

“We know when kids cheat, why kids cheat and how kids cheat,” said Eric Anderman, a recognized expert on student cheating and professor of educational policy and leadership at Ohio State University.
“We know how to motivate kids so that they are much less likely to cheat. The only problem is that what we know about reducing cheating often isn’t put into practice in schools,” Anderman said.

Anderman says that in the early years of school, teachers emphasize that learning is fun, but as the grade level increases, teachers emphasize that grades matter and are more important. Personal mastery of a subject–learning which leads to understanding–can reduce cheating.

Seventy-five percent of college students admit to cheating in school and 80 percent of high-school students confess to the practice. Even 21 percent of students who think that cheating is unacceptable still do it.

Boys cheat in school more than girls. And students with Type-A personalities are more likely to cheat.

The No Child Left Behind Act, which concentrates on test scores, sends the wrong message says Anderman. “These standardized tests aren’t going to go away, but we don’t have to talk about them in the classroom as the ultimate outcome and goal,” he said.

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