Why do students risk their grades and integrity to cheat on tests? The obvious answer is to get better grades, but in many cases, simply spending a few extra hours—or even minutes—studying would be more efficient than ruining their reputation with teachers and cheating themselves.
A study done by the International Center for Academic Integrity (ICAI) reported that up to sixty percent of high school students across America cheat regularly. That number has only
increased in recent years due to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT.
One HHS student explained how easy it felt to get started.
“My friend used AI to translate the Latin passage into English, and I used it from there,” they said.
While AI appeals to the cheating epidemic, it still doesn’t answer the question of why people disregard their values and risk getting caught. Moreover, upholding academic integrity is essential in education as the next generation of the workforce is more likely to be honest and reliable.
One student blames the reason for cheating on the student body’s lack of motivation and accessibility to cheat in certain classes.
“I need to get good grades, I don’t study, and it’s really easy to cheat in class,” they said. “I’ve not studied my whole life and still gotten good grades.”
This same student has been accepted into both Auburn University and The University of Alabama, highlighting that cheating with good grades overpowers honesty and integrity when a student is not caught.
All three students have the same core principle: cheating is wrong, but their GPA is more important. A student who used AI on the essay or had a cheat sheet with all the translations for their foreign language test might get a better grade than the honest student, which seems inherently unfair. Furthermore, the precedent that it is unfair to the honest students encourages the honest to engage with cheating to level the playing field. Some students go as far as to mass-produce and sell cheat sheets to help other students.
“I help them print out a little sheet that helps them cheat,” one student confirmed. He later provides a reason, “I don’t charge, I just help them out.”
One consequence of cheating on the teaching end is that teachers can not focus on grading papers if they are required to monitor students during the tests.
AP English teacher Leslie Anastasia explains, “People complain about how long it takes to grade. I can also spend an entire day monitoring if you also want me to get stuff graded.”
Anastasia also provides a new insight into the different motives. “People are not inspired by the assignment, so they don’t see the point in putting in any hard work. Then there are the people who are not confident in their academic abilities to succeed because of the grading pressure.
