1. Integrity Crisis in High School:
Exploring Ways to Prevent Academic Dishonesty in
the Classroom
Presented by: Alexandra Escobar and Richard
Dettling

2. Academic Cheating
Academic cheating is defined as
representing someone else's work as
your own.
It can take many forms, including sharing
another's work, purchasing a term paper
or test questions in advance, paying
another to do the work for you.

3. According to ETS
Who is ETS?
Educational Testing Services
They develop, administer, and score 50+
million tests annually in 180+ countries
A number of important statistics
have been generated by ETS

4. Academic Cheating
According to ETS, cheating among high
school students has risen dramatically
during the past 50 years
PAST PRESENT
In the past it was the struggling
student who was more likely to
cheat just to get by
(ETS, 1999)
Today it is the above-average
college bound students who
are cheating
(ETS, 1999)

5. 20% of college students
admitted to some form of
academic dishonesty in high
school during the 1940's
(ETS, 1999)
Unfair Disadvantage
Honest
Academically
Dishonest
1940s

6. 20% of college students
admitted to some form of
academic dishonesty in high
school during the 1940's
(ETS, 1999)
Unfair Disadvantage
Honest
Academically
Dishonest
1940s

7. 20% of college students
admitted to some form of
academic dishonesty in high
school during the 1940's
Today between 75 and 98
percent of college students
reported having cheated in
high school (ETS, 1999)
Unfair Disadvantage
Academically
Dishonest
Honest
Present Day

8. Some Problems
 Research shows almost 50% of students
are engaging in some form of academic
dishonesty in universities in the United
States and Canada (McCabe, Butterfield,
& Trevino, 2006; McCabe, 2009).
 When academic quality and integrity is
compromised, the institution suffers.

9. Some Problems
 Students who engage in academic dishonesty may not
develop the necessary academic skills and content
knowledge in college (Postle, 2009).
 This behavior can lead to questionable ethics beyond
school which can negatively impact the community at
large (Harding, Carpenter, Finelli, & Passow, 2004;
Anitsal, Anitsal, & Elmore, 2009; Nonis & Swift, 2001).

10. How do these children?

11. Become these adults?

12. Stigma?
Academic Dishonesty no longer carries the
stigma that it used to.
WHY?
Less social condemnation +
increased competition for admission into
universities and graduate schools has made
students more willing to do whatever it
takes to get the A.

13. Stigma?

14. Stigma?
 Academic Dishonesty increases
due to pressure for high grades
 Math and Science are the
courses in which academic
dishonesty occurs most often
 Computers and mobile
technology make academic
dishonesty easier
(Anderman, Griesinger, & Westerfield, 1998).

15. 73% of all test takers, including prospective
graduate students and teachers agree that
most students do cheat at some point
Unfair Disadvantage
86% of high school
students agreed
(ETS, 1999)

16. Students feel
justified in academic
dishonesty
They cheat because
they see others cheat
Unfair Disadvantage
The cheaters are getting 100 on the exam,
while the non-cheaters may only get 90's.
(Anderman, Griesinger, & Westerfield, 1998).

17. Research
According to a poll of Who's Who Among
American High School Students, 80% of the
country's best students participated in some
form of Academic Dishonesty to get to the
top of their class (1998).
More than half the students surveyed said
they don't think academic dishonesty is a big
deal – and most did not get caught (1998).

18. Research
According to surveys conducted by The
Josephson Institute of Ethics among 20,000
middle and high school students:
64% of high school students admitted to
cheating in 1996. That number jumped to
70% in 1998

19. In a recent survey of middle schoolers:
2/3 of respondents reported cheating
on exams
9/10 reported copying another's
homework (ETS, 1998)
Research

20. Using Theory to Enhance Practice
 Granitz and Lowey (2007) presented
six ethical theories to understand
plagiarism

21. Ethical Theories to Understand Plagiarism
(Granitz & Lowey, 2007)
Ethical Theory Application Alignment to Student
Behavior & Justification
Deontology Deciding what is right or
wrong based on duty to
others
Applies to students who claim they
did not know they plagiarized since
this would conflict with their sense
of duty
Utilitarianism
Cost benefit analysis: making
decisions based on what
generates the greatest
amount of happiness
Plagiarism can lead to higher
grades and harms no one
Rational
Self-Interest
Benefiting oneself and giving
to others based on what has
been given.
Plagiarism is ok when the
assignment is irrelevant or the
teacher does not put forth much
effort in teaching

22. Ethical Theory Application Alignment to Student
Behavior & Justification
Machiavellianism
Self-interest behavior, no
regard to consequences on
others
Students brag about their
plagiarized work and then blame
others if they get caught
Cultural
relativism
Acting in accordance to the
values of one’s culture
Plagiarism is allowable in students’
own country/culture
Situational/
contingent
ethics
Behaviors and ethical
decisions are influenced by
individual, social, and
situational elements
Plagiarism is permitted under
extenuating circumstances
Ethical Theories to Understand Plagiarism
(Granitz & Lowey, 2007)

23. Extending the Model
 What can teachers do?
 Compiling best practices

24. What Can Teachers Do?
Student Behavior Ways teachers can address root causes
Deontology:
Students not
understanding they
plagiarized
• Socialize the school’s code of Academic Integrity
• Direct instruction on note-taking, paraphrasing,
and citation
• Know and promote available resources to help
students
Utilitarianism:
Plagiarism can lead
to higher grades
and harms no one
• Get to know your students
• Instill ethics in students, discuss current ethical
issues in society
• Have high expectations
• Let students know you will check for plagiarism
• Do in class-writing assignments (writing sample)

25. Student Behavior Ways teachers can address root
causes
Rational Self-Interest:
Plagiarism is ok when
the assignment is
irrelevant or the teacher
does not put forth much
effort in teaching
• Show students you care
• Relevant and individualized assignments
and assessments. Narrow topics are best.
• Require students to use current events
and sources within the last 5 years
• Avoid busy work
• Prepare students for assignments and
debrief completed work
Machiavellianism:
Students brag about
their plagiarized work
and blame others if
caught
• Instill ethics in students
• Model scholarly integrity as a faculty
What Can Teachers Do?

26. Student Behavior Ways teachers can address root causes
Cultural Relativism:
Plagiarism is allowable
in students’ own
culture
• Emphasize the importance and value of
academic integrity in U.S. institutions
• Do not assume students know how to cite
• Know and promote available resources to
help students
Situational/Contingent
Ethics:
Action is justified
under extenuating
circumstances
• Share time management strategies
• Break up larger assignments to weekly tasks
(outlines, annotated bibliographies, drafts)
• Consider some flexibility in late policy
• Have students turn in a reflection on the
writing process, struggles, aha moments, etc.
What Can Teachers Do?

27. A Shared Responsibility
 Upholding academic integrity is a joint
effort and the shared responsibility of
students, teachers, and administrators
(Macdonald & Carroll, 2006).

28. Conclusion
 Education about why academic integrity matters
needs to start early on
 Teachers should make a concerted effort to prevent
academic dishonesty and respond appropriately
when it occurs
 Promoting ethics in our students needs to be a joint
effort between K-12 schools and post-secondary
institutions
 Together we can make a difference and help
promote ethical values in our society

29. And finally…
Questions
and/or
Comments?

30. References
Anderman, E. M., Griesinger, T., & Westerfield, G. (1998). Motivation and cheating during early
adolescence. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90(1), 84-93.Anitsal, I., Anitsal, M., & Elmore, R.
(2009).
Academic dishonesty and intention to cheat: a model on active versus passive academic dishonesty as
perceived by business students. Academy of Entrepreneurship Journal, 15(2), 17-26.
Educational Testing Services (1999) Cheating is a personal foul. Retrieved from http://www.glass-
castle.com/clients/www-nocheating-org/adcouncil/research/cheatingfactsheet.html
Granitz, N., & Loewy, D. (2007). Applying ethical theories: Interpreting and responding to student
plagiarism. Journal Of Business Ethics, 72(3), 293-306. doi:10.1007/s10551-006-9171-9
Harding, T. S., Carpenter, D. D., Finelli, C. J., & Passow, H. J. (2004). Does academic dishonesty
relate to unethical behavior in professional practice? An exploratory study. Science & Engineering
Ethics, 10(2), 311-324.

31. References Cont.
Macdonald, R., & Carroll, J. (2006). Plagiarism—a complex issue requiring a holistic
institutional approach. Assessment & Evaluation In Higher Education, 31(2), 233-245.
doi:10.1080/02602930500262536
McCabe, D.L, Butterfield, K.D, Treviño, L.K. (2006). Academic dishonesty in graduate
business programs: Prevalence, causes, and proposed action. Academy of Management
Learning & Education. 5(3). 294-305. Retrieved from Ebscohost.
McCabe, D.L. (2009). Academic dishonesty in nursing schools: An empirical investigation.
Journal of Nursing Education. 48(11), 614-623.
Nonis, S. & Swift, C.O., (2001). An examination of the relationship between academic
dishonesty and workplace dishonesty: A multicampus investigation. Journal Of Education
For Business, 77(2), 69.

32. References Cont.
Postle, K. (2009). Detecting and deterring plagiarism in social work students: Implications for
learning for practice. Social Work Education, 28(4), 351-362.
Wilkinson, J. (2009). Staff and student perceptions of plagiarism and cheating. International
Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 20(2), 98-105.