Teacher and Student Perceptions of Academic Cheating in Middle and Senior High Schools

Abstract

Past research on academic cheating has been dominated by college samples and has excluded the study of any similarities and differences between teachers and students in their perceptions of cheating problems. Accordingly, various perceptions were examined by studying a sample of middle and senior high school students and their teachers in four different schools. Questionnaire data indicate general agreement that cheating is a serious problem, but there are substantial teacher-student differences regarding criterial attributes, causal attributions, and efficacious prevention strategies. Results are discussed in terms of previous cheating research literature and implications for classroom practice.