Monday, November 12, 2012



WHY DO COLLEGE STUDENTS CHEAT?
By: Katrina Givens, Nishat Huq, Albert Hernandez


       "As of 2011, 75%-98% of students have admitted to cheating at least once in their academic careers" ("75 to 98," 2011). The question is why do college students cheat and why is this number so high? Though there are many motives behind the act of cheating, Dr. Robert Merton offers the two theories of Role Strain and Role Conflict that can attempt to explain the reasons as to why college students rely on cheating to succeed in college. Role Strain (incompatibility among the various roles of a college student) and Role Conflict (balancing the role of student with other roles) not only limit the time that college students have to focus on academics, but lead students to rely on cheating in order to compensate for lost time.

"As of 2011, 75%-98% of students have admitted to cheating at least once in their academic careers"
One of the main reasons for cheating on college campuses is related to the performance pressure many students face in order to simultaneously make above average test grades, finish difficult and lengthy assignments in a timely manner, participate in clubs, organizations, and community service, be accepted by peers both socially and academically, and keep up with the expectations of their parents and professors. As if this wasn’t enough, these pressures are solidified by the awareness of potential roadblocks for future jobs should these goals not be met. Basically, most college students who are serious about their future strive to be the “perfect student” which will one day lead to the “perfect job”. While this is a very common goal, the stress that comes with trying to balance so many objectives in a limited amount of time often leads students to cheat simply to keep their heads above water. Studies show "77% of students feel stress over academic concerns" that eventually leads to academic dishonestly ("Is your college," )This type of performance pressure that often leads to cheating is a direct result of Role Strain in a college student’s life.


In logical terms, it seems almost impossible to keep up with the many tasks faced by college students with the expectation of excelling in every single one. Unfortunately, this does not stop students from putting enormous pressures on themselves to make that “A” grade in every class, stay involved in various campus organizations, impress others socially and academically, and build the perfect resume for their future jobs. Role strain comes into play as the incompatibility of these various roles eventually become too much for students to handle, and they "feel pressure to develop unorthodox means to get competitive and marketable credentials" ("Why do students")As the deadlines build up and stress becomes unbearable, it is no surprise that cutting corners to get by becomes a very attractive solution. Most students view cheating as the easy answer because it frees up their schedules and lessens the burden role strain plays on their lives. The stress and lack of time forces students to give up studying for hours on end and create cheat sheets, buy old tests from students who have already taken the class, or pay someone else to write a dreaded essay. These cheating techniques use up one fourth of the time traditional studying methods take, include much less work, and even secure a good grade. With the saved time, students are free to attend club meetings, earn social points with their peers at the local bar, and work on resumes for that job they’ve dreamed of since sixth grade. Cheating opens up time for the rest of their busy schedules that is essential in keeping up the image of a “perfect student”. After a while, students realize that cheating is one way to not only earn good grades, but it can take away some of the pressure that led them to cheat in the first place by providing more time for their busy college lives.

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 My data supports the role strain theory by suggesting that too much conflict among roles in a single status can drive students to cheat in order to succeed. However, my data has also revealed another disturbing theory. Unfortunately, over time, good grades have become more important to students than the actual education, and cheating has become more reliable than taking the time to learn the material. Nowadays being the “perfect student” involves prizing high grades over creativity and the ability to apply education in real life scenarios. When five students were shadowed for a year in order to research the sources of their high-achieving intellectual engagements, it was found that the "students spend most of their time finagling the system in pursuit of good grades” rather than earning a genuine education" (Palmer, 2005). Instead of being concerned about the learning skills they’ll receive from not taking the easy way out, students feel like the most important thing they do is get the grades whether that be by “hook” or by “crook”. 
"Students spend most of their time finagling the system in pursuit of good grades"

Eric Roberts, a Stanford University faculty member stated, “the relationship between stress and cheating in an academic environment is not simply a problem of student integrity” but instead "cheating has been linked to social pressure put on students to prize high grades over education and other values including creativity and imagination” (Palmer, 2005). This conclusion, although unfortunate, is a viable explanation as to why the pressure to be a “perfect student” has increasingly emphasized good grades (even by cheating) rather than an authentic education. In addition, students see other students excelling at school (probably by cheating as well) and feel the need to fit in with their peers academically. In a way, students are cheating to “save face” by creating the impression that they can handle all the stress of being a college student as well as make the good grades that now define the ideal student. Pressure to fit in academically comes into play and is also enforced by parents and professors that create such high standards for their students that it is impossible for many of them to keep up without resorting to cheating at some point in time.

"Cheating has been linked to social pressure put on students to prize high grades over education and other values including creativity and imagination"

Due to the abundance of pressure faced by college students to perform and the increasing importance of good grades, cheating is almost inevitable. Excelling academically, being involved on campus, fitting in with peers, and living up to the expectations of parents and professors is no easy task, especially while it is all done at the same time. Role strain is helpful in explaining how balancing all these roles can result in a student cheating to create more time for themselves and keep up the image of being able to handle all the aspects of college life. 




Relating to the Role Strain Theory, Role Conflict is the tension caused by competing demands between two or more roles pertaining to different statuses. This theory explains that while students are students, they hold other roles as well such as “friend”, “family member” and “worker”. Their responsibilities lie in several different areas, which again leads to time management problems as well as role conflict, causing students to resolve to cheating.
Being a student is already tough enough, having to deal with several classes, assignments, and school activities is a full plate. But how many college kids are trying to pay for their college education at the same time they’re in school? Their expectations from work include being productive, on time, and professional. Not only is this a very time consuming role to partake in, it demands as much attention as a “student” role does. Over a span of the last 3 decades, 30- over 50% of Full-Time college students were employed (Weissman, 2012). That’s almost 1 in every 2 students! So it might sound reasonable to plagiarize on a college paper, or copy your friend’s homework assignment for tomorrow when you’ve come home at midnight from a long day at work.

Besides having to fulfill professional roles, what about being expected to be the loving family member, or devoted friend? 53-54% of college students admit to being stressed about their families and relationships (Is Your College Student Stressed, 2011). Can your time given to school affect your relationships outside of class? The need to give time in order to create a social life for yourself can sometimes be just as important as your studies. Socializing can help you meet classmates to study with, make supportive friends, and simply make you happier. Also, one of the biggest values college students hold is their freedom and independence, being able to just have fun, be rebellious, and do as they please. Fulfilling this role most definitely creates Role Conflict, and once again limits the span of time students truly have to devote to their studies. Why not just rely on cheating if it will give you the few extra hours you need to just relax and be yourself?


Being able to completely fulfill all three of these roles can be nearly impossible without making one sacrifice or another. Each role you’re responsible for doesn’t take into account of all the other duties you’re in charge of; only you can manage that. In these days, it's common to try and do it all by just using your time as best to your advantage as you can. Being able to pick and choose what is important to really do in school, and what you can get done by just cheating is a skill that apparently most college kids acquire and practice to some extent for the best of their interests. It’s not that college students think it’s completely okay to cheat, but students tend to agree that cheating is almost essential in order to be successful in college. 

"Assuming that most university students feel they should fulfill the threefold role, it seems that the student scarcely has enough hours to seriously pursue each to its fullest, and thus must cut corners somewhere." (Knop, 1969)

Even though there are several reasons why college students cheat, the Role Strain Theory and the Role Conflict Theory help to effectively illustrate two explanations behind the high rates of academic dishonesty. As individual college students continue to cheat, they amass to hurting the academic integrity of the entire college as “getting the grade” has become increasingly more important to college students than the actual education they receive. While the high numbers of cheating will probably never decrease significantly, the reputation and effectiveness of universities and colleges may be affected by the dishonesty of college students, as caused by the multiple roles, expectations, and pressures that lead to Role Strain and Role Conflict.

 Works Cited

75 to 98 percent of college students have cheated. (2011, June 29). Retrieved from http://education-portal.com/articles/75_to_98_Percent_of_College_Students_Have_Cheated.html

Palmer, B. (2005, February 23). Pressure for good grades often leads to high stress, cheating, professors say. Retrieved from http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/february23/cheat-022305.html



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                 Knop, E. (1969). The student dilemma: Role conflict. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/27562944

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