Why Students Cheat and How to Stop It

Cheating in schools has reached epidemic proportions. The vast majority of young people (and adults for that matter) believe that cheating is wrong. Yet, by nearly every poll, most young people cheat at least once in their high school career. Why students cheat poses a challenging question for educators and parents. Here are some answers to these questions followed by possible solutions to minimize or eliminate cheating. Why Students Cheat Everybody does it: Its disturbing to discover that young people in middle school and high school think that it is acceptable to cheat. But the majority of tests that educators give encourage this behavior. Take multiple-choice tests, for example. They literally invite students to cheat. Unrealistic academic demands: The public education sector is accountable to the government. State legislatures, state boards of education, local boards of education, unions, and countless other organizations demand action to correct the real and imagined failings of the nations public education system. As a result, students must take standardized tests so that officials and parents can compare one school system to another nationally and at the state level. In the classroom, these tests mean that a teacher must achieve the expected results or better, or she will be viewed as ineffective, or worse, incompetent. So instead of teaching students how to think, she teaches them how to pass standardized tests. The temptation to plagiarize: Years ago cheaters lifted whole passages from an encyclopedia and called them their own. That was plagiarism. Plagiarisms current incarnation is even easier: The students simply points and clicks his way to the website with the relevant information, copies and paste it, reformats it somewhat, and passes it off as his own. Possible Solutions Schools need to have zero-tolerance policies concerning cheating. Teachers must be vigilant and alert to all of the newer forms of cheating, particularly electronic cheating. Smartphones and computer tablets  are powerful tools for cheating. Fighting the tools that make it tempting to cheat can be challenging, but if the stakeholders are willing to take the necessary steps, they can help reduce cheating. Teachers:  The best solution is to make learning exciting and absorbing. Teachers should make the learning process student-centric. They should allow students to buy into the process and empower them to guide and direct their learning. Teachers can encourage creativity and critical thinking as opposed to rote learning. There are some specific steps teachers can take: Model integrity, no matter what the cost.Dont assume young people know why cheating is wrong, both from a personal and corporate perspective.Enable students to understand the meaning and relevance of an academic lesson.Foster an academic curriculum that perpetuates real-world applications of knowledge.Dont force cheating underground—let students know that you understand the pressures and, at least initially, be reasonable in responding to violations. Parents:  Parents have a huge role to play in combating cheating. Thats because children mimic almost everything parents do. Parents must set the right sort of example for their children to emulate. Parents must also take a genuine interest in their childrens work. They should ask to see everything and anything and discuss everything and anything. An involved parent is a powerful weapon against cheating. Students:  Students must learn to be true to themselves and their own core values. They should not let peer pressure and other influences steal their dreams. Parents and educators should emphasize that if students are caught cheating, there will be serious consequences. Also, this might seem simplistic, but students need to understand why cheating is wrong. Dr. Thomas Lickona, a developmental psychologist and education professor, defined a few points to emphasize to students about cheating. Lickona says that parents and teachers should explain to students that cheating: Will lower self-respect because you can never be proud of anything you earned by cheating.Is a lie because it deceives other people into thinking you know more than you do.Violates the teachers trust and undermines the whole trust relationship between the teacher and his class.Is unfair to all people who arent cheating.Will lead to more cheating in other situations later in life—perhaps even in personal relationships. Foiling Electronic Cheating When essay topics are generic, there seems to be more opportunity to cheat. By contrast, when the essay topic is specific to class discussions and/or unique to the courses stated goals, it becomes more difficult for students to go to web sources to lift material or download papers. When the teacher expects the papers development to follow a step-by-step process that requires students to document their topic, thesis, outline, sources, rough draft, and final draft, there are fewer opportunities to cheat. If there are regular in-class writing assignments, a teacher can come to know the students writing style, allowing him to recognize plagiarism when it occurs. There are a few steps teachers can take to combat and prevent plagiarism and other electronic cheating: Use a plagiarism detection service like  Turnitin.com  to catch plagiarism.Forbid the use of smart devices in exam rooms.Secure the grade program and database.Look for crib notes anywhere and everywhere. Teachers need to be vigilant. Trust but verify. They must be aware of the possibilities for cheating which are all around them. Sources Lickona, Thomas. â€Å"Character Matters: How to Help Our Children Develop Good Judgment, Integrity, and Other Essential Virtues.†Ã‚  Amazon, Simon Schuster, 2004.Niels, Gary J. â€Å"Academic Practices, School Culture and Cheating Behavior. Winchesterthurston.org.â€Å"NMPLB: Cheating. FlyLady.net.â€Å"One Third of Teens Use Cellphones to Cheat in School.†Ã‚  U.S. News World Report, U.S. News World Report.Sperling, Melanie. â€Å"Cheating: Todays High School Norm?†Ã‚  Wayland Student Press.Wallace, Kelly. â€Å"High-Tech Cheating On The Rise At Schools.†Ã‚  CBS News, CBS Interactive, 17 June 2009. Article edited by  Stacy Jagodowski

Expectancy Theory of Motivation Essay - 652 Words

The expectancy theory of motivation, which was first produced by Victor Vroom, has become a generally accepted theory for explaining how individuals make decisions concerning different behavioural alternatives. According to Vroom to motivate someone mere offer a person something to satisfy his important needs will not be adequate. In order for the person to be motivated, he must also be convincingly sure that he has the ability to obtain the reward. An employee’s motivation increases when he values a particular outcome greatly and when he feels a reasonably good chance of achieving the desired goal. This definition states that: Any individual acts in a way to reach a maximal effect with a minimal effort. The first major expectancy†¦show more content†¦Hirokawa and Scheerhorn (1986) developed a model of group decision-making that supports general expectancy theory concepts. This model shows how groups come to decisions, which factors outcome in decisions, and how individual group members affect quality of the decisions. Also, studies shows that treating people as a group may have many benefits, but it also has many objectionable consequences (Hansen 1997). One of the major consequences is that individuals are proven to show less effort when performing collectively than when performing individually. In ASKExpert case, Liz is an experienced system analyst and frequently absent from project meetings, by using Expectancy theory that supports decision-making in groups, it would help Liz to be more comfortable in project meetings. She can gather information from other employees’ of the company in addition to her own knowledge. The Expectancy Theory is a predictor of work motivation, effort expenditure and Job Performance. In the case of ASKExpert, a experienced program tester made a sudden resignation, leaving the company to seek another employee who doesn’t know the company procedures, therefore leaving the company in vulnerable position. Based on expectancy models of employee motivation fo und in the human resources management literature, it emphasizes the importance of providing employees with an understanding of what is expected of them if they are to contribute to service production and delivery, the capacityShow MoreRelatedThe Expectancy Theory of Motivation670 Words   |  3 PagesIn today’s workforce there are many reasons why individuals get up every day and go to work. For most it is because they have bills to pay and this leads to their motivation to work is for the outcome of a paycheck. That is true for most, but how does motivation apply to an individual once they are at work and must perform their daily duties? No matter that is painting houses or a high level CIO building the backbone of a fortune 500 company, these individuals’ performances are based on their expectationsRead MoreExpectancy Theory of Motivation670 Words   |  3 PagesExpectancy Theory of Motivation In a business, what motivates employees to do their best? One theory that may explain the reasons why some employees seem more motivated than others is the Expectancy theory of motivation. The Expectancy theory operates under the assumption that employees will perform well based on self-belief and how much they desire the rewards their actions will render. Three key components and relationships in this theory determine how motivated an employee will choose to be:Read MoreExpectancy Theory of Motivation714 Words   |  3 PagesExpectancy Theory of Motivation, an approach to improving performance. Mark R. Mattox Western Governors University Expectancy Theory of Motivation â€Å"Expectancy Theory - A theory that says that the strength of a tendency to act in a certain way depends on the strength of an expectation that the act will be followed by a given outcome and on the attractiveness of that outcome to the individual.† (Judge 07/2012, p. 224) Explanation of the Three ComponentsRead MoreMotivation Theory And Expectancy Theory Of Motivation1742 Words   |  7 Pagesplace. This problem mainly occurs in organisation when there is lack of motivation, lack of organisational justice, negative culture and low morale. The purpose of this case study is to give brief view about, why employees had to face these problems and how to make positive culture and what and where the changes are required for the WA force. This report introduces MARS motivation theory and Expectancy theory of motivation for improves officers’ behaviours towards force, with that how can they fillRead MoreThe Expectancy Theory Of Motivation917 Words   |  4 Pages3.2 Theories Victor H. Vroom’s Theory (1964) developed the Expectancy Theory of Motivation. This theory is a behavioral theory that one behavior of an individual will be chosen over another type of behavior when positive performance will lead to desirable rewards. Figure 3.3 will illustrate the three components to this theory: expectancy, instrumentality, and valance, and show how the variables of Vroom’s theory is designed. Expectancy is the expectations how people perceive to meet the performanceRead MoreThe Vroom Expectancy Motivation Theory Essay763 Words   |  4 Pagesbeen some lack of motivation from Paul. According to Robbins, S. P. Judge, (184). Motivation is the process that accounts for an individual’s intensity, direction, and persistence of effort towards attaining a goal. In this paper, I will use the Vroom Expectancy Motivation Theory to explain Jeannine Savaria’s motivation and what can her supervisor do to improve her motivation. Savaria’s motivation can be supported through the Vroom Expectancy Motivation Theory. This theory links the performanceRead MoreThe Expectancy Theory Of Employee Motivation868 Words   |  4 Pages This approach of recognizing and rewarding employees for their performance was first introduced by Victor Vroom in 1964 known as the Expectancy Theory. When employees are engaged they will exceed organizational expectations and function with a sense of ownership in their place of employment (Malik, (2012). Hema and Washington (2014) state, employee motivation is gained when subordinates are empowered; giving staff power and authority to make the choices without having to wait for management’sRead MoreMotivation, Self Determination Theory, And Expectancy Theory863 Words   |  4 Pages(2001-2016). Motivational theories can help support an employee to progress in the workplace; a few theories such as Extrinsic Motivation, Intrinsic Motivation, Acquired Needs Theory, Self -Determination theory, and expectancy theory relate to my professional life. I will explain if I agree/disagree with my PsyCap self-assessment and some developing strategies to advance in my career using my strengths. Also, I will talk about how I can employ goal-setting to increase motivation, and how my engagementsRead MoreExpectancy Theory of Motivation at Use in the Workplace1229 Words   |  5 Pages1 EXPECTANCY THEORY OF MOTIVATION AT USE IN THE WORKPLACE Leadership Concepts and Applications LET1 Student#: March 30, 2012 2 What is Motivation? Motivation is a word popularly used to explain why people behave as they do. Some psychologists and scientists view motivation as the factor that determines behavior, as expressed in the phrase â€Å"all behavior is motivated† (World Book, 1992). Some scientists view motivation as the factor that energizes behavior. According to this

Personal Statement French Studies free essay sample

Dear Sir, Dear Madam, I am writing in application for a place in your graduate program, namely the Ph. D. in French Studies with a concentration in Language and Identity, to start in the fall of 2006. I am currently completing my Master 1 at the Sorbonne University (Paris Ill), having also acquired my B. A. (Licence) in that institution. My Bachelors and my current Masters at the Sorbonne primarily consist of the study of French literature and dramaturgical texts from the 16th up until the present day. I have had the opportunity to study in depth classic authors uch as Moliere, Racine or Corneille. I have been especially marked by the latter author in his tragedy Le Cid. My education has also included the works of Rousseau, Beaumarchais, Montesquieu, Hugo, Zola Chateaubriand, Apollinaire, Aragon and other 18th to 20th Century writers. Many of the ideas advanced by these 18th Century writers went on to play a tremendous role in shaping France and Europe via their influence on the revolutionaries of 1789. We will write a custom essay sample on Personal Statement French Studies or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Hugo and Zola also influenced their generation by exposing societal injustice in their works, most notably n Germinaland Les Miserables. Throughout my high school and university education I have studied foreign languages such as French and English. I have always had a particular passion for France (where I have lived for several years) and French culture and language. I was admitted to the Perm State University in order to learn French. In order to broaden my knowledge I enthusiastically took up the opportunity to move to France, where I have spent most of the last five years of my life, working and studying at the same time. When I arrived in France, I worked as an au pair (alongside my studies), as well as for a tour operator. I have also taught French to both teenagers and adults while in Russia, and Russian and French whilst in France. These experiences have greatly aided me in developing my teaching and communication capabilities. I also have a long-standing interest for history, art and politics, both within Europe, the US, the former Soviet Union and the wider world. I have found these interests to be extremely helpful when studying literature, ocieties and cultures during my education, as they enable one to understand the underlying meaning of texts which are at times hidden, or to place such texts in their broader context. During my education I have closely studied the evolution of the treatment of women in both France and Russia. It seems natural for me to advance as a thesis proposal comparative research into the influence of French and American 20th Century literature on the condition of women in France and the US, and to determine the impact that this had on other groups of society. This topic would allow me to examine issues ranging from personal and group identities to politics and philosophy. I will also be able to bring into such research my own background, as I have also studied extensively Russian authors like Chekhov who also focus on these issues in plays like Three Sisters or Uncle Vanya. I take a great interest in research work, may it be for my courses at university or during my internship in New Orleans, and find it both challenging and extremely rewarding. I have always wanted o graduate from such a prominent institution as Tulane University, which has a well- deserved reputation for excellence. More specifically, study in New Orleans, with Ph. D. in French Studies from Tulane University would constitute both a highly beneficial experience for me and an additional step towards becoming an expert in French literary culture and thought, possibly working in the academic field or within the broader intellectual community. am motivated and extremely hard working, and would relish the opportunity to study at your institution. I am grateful for your consideration.