Abstract
The evaluation of students in online education poses a notable challenge, primarily due to the potential violation of academic integrity caused by various forms of cheating during online examinations. This study aims to explore the perspectives of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners on the reasons for online exam cheating. The study was conducted using a mixed-methods approach and included 27 participants from three different educational contexts: universities, institutes, and schools. The qualitative phase of the study involved conducting comprehensive discussions using the Google Meet app, allowing participants to explore the factors contributing to online exam cheating. The results of qualitative analysis revealed three broad categories of reasons for online exam cheating: student-related factors, teaching-related factors, and assessment-related factors, each with sub-themes. Followed by this, a ranking scale was administered to the participants to determine the perceived significance of these categories. The implications of this study can guide the development of interventions and strategies targeting these different categories of reasons, ultimately fostering a culture of academic honesty among EFL learners in online exam settings. Also, this study contributes to understanding the reasons for online exam cheating among EFL learners and provides insights for promoting integrity in online assessments.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data Availability
Not applicable. As a consent form was used, the recorded files can be shared under certain circumstances.
Abbreviations
- EFL:
-
English as a Foreign Language
- ICT:
-
Information and Communication Technologies
- AD:
-
Academic Dishonesty
References
Abdo, Z. A., Seid, S. A., & Woldekiros, A. N. (2023). Self-perception of physical appearance of adolescents and associated factors in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. PLoS ONE, 18(1), e0281202. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0281202
Adzima, K. (2021). Examining online cheating in higher education using traditional classroom cheating as a guide. Electronic Journal of E-Learning, 18(6), 476–493. https://doi.org/10.34190/jel.18.6.002
Afzal, S., & Jami, H. (2018). Prevalence of academic procrastination and reasons for academic procrastination in university students. Journal of Behavioural Sciences, 28(1), 51–69.
Ahmadi, A. (2012). Cheating on exams in the Iranian EFL context. Journal of Academic Ethics, 10, 151–170. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-012-9156-5
Al Shbail, M. O., Esra’a, B., Alshurafat, H., Ananzeh, H., & Al Kurdi, B. H. (2022). Factors affecting online cheating by accounting students: The relevance of social factors and the fraud triangle model factors. Academy of Strategic Management Journal, 20, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2021.107732
Ali, L. (2021). The shift to online education paradigm due to COVID-19: A study of student’s behavior in UAE universities environment. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 11(3), 131–136. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijiet.2021.11.3.1501
Armstrong-Mensah, E., Ramsey-White, K., Yankey, B., & Self-Brown, S. (2020). COVID-19 and distance learning: Effects on Georgia State University school of public health students. Frontiers in Public Health, 547.
Arshad, I., Zahid, H., Umer, S., Khan, S. Y., Sarki, I. H., & Yaseen, M. N. (2021). Academic dishonesty among higher education students in Pakistan. Elementary Education Online, 20(5), 5334–5345. https://doi.org/10.17051/ilkonline.2021.05.597
Ashraf, M., Grunfeld, H., Hoque, M. R., & Alam, K. (2017). An extended conceptual framework to understand information and communication technology-enabled socio-economic development at community level in Bangladesh. Information Technology & People, 30(4), 736–752. https://doi.org/10.1108/itp-03-2016-0067
Atikuzzaman, Md., & Yesmin, Shamima. (2023). Authority concerns regarding research students’ academic dishonesty: a case study for promoting academic integrity in a public University in Bangladesh. Journal of Academic Ethics, 21(4), 591–607. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-023-09474-8
Awdry, R. (2021). Assignment outsourcing: Moving beyond contract cheating. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 46(2), 220–235. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2020.1765311
Awdry, R., & Ives, B. (2020). Students cheat more often from those known to them: Situation matters more than the individual. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 46(8), 1254–1268. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2020.1851651
Beasley, E. M. (2014). Students reported for cheating explain what they think would have stopped them. Ethics & Behavior, 24(3), 229–252. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508422.2013.845533
Benson, L., Rodier, K., Enström, R., & Bocatto, E. (2019). Developing a university-wide academic integrity E-learning tutorial: A canadian case. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 15(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-019-0045-1
Bilen, E., & Matros, A. (2021). Online cheating amid COVID-19. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 182, 196–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2020.12.004
Bryzgornia, A. (2022). Motivating factors for academic dishonesty and reoccurrence prevention of these behaviors. [Masterʼs thesis, Bethel University]. Spark Repository. https://spark.bethel.edu/etd/840
Cabral-Cardoso, C. (2004). Ethical misconduct in the business school: A case of plagiarism that turned bitter. Journal of Business Ethics, 49(1), 75–89. https://doi.org/10.1023/b:busi.0000013864.76547.d5
Chala, L., & Agago, M. (2022). Exploring national examination malpractice mechanisms and countermeasures: An Ethiopian perspective. International Journal of Instruction, 15(3), 413–428. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2022.15323a
Curran, K., Middleton, G., & Doherty, C. (2011). Cheating in Exams with Technology. International Journal of Cyber Ethics in Education, 1(2), 54–62. https://doi.org/10.4018/ijcee.2011040105
Curran, T., & Wexler, L. (2016). School-based positive youth development: A systematic review of the literature. Journal of School Health, 87(1), 71–80. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12467
Dawson, P. (2020). Defending assessment security in a digital world: Preventing e-cheating and supporting academic integrity in higher education. Routledge.
Denisova-Schmidt, E. (2017). The challenges of academic integrity in higher education. Current trends and prospects.
Denisova-Schmidt, E., Huber, M., & Leontyeva, E. (2016). Do anti-corruption educational campaigns reach students? Evidence from two cities in Russia and Ukraine. Voprosy Obrazovaniya / Educational Studies Moscow, 1, 61–83. https://doi.org/10.17323/1814-9545-2016-1-61-83
Dumulescu, D., & Muţiu, A. I. (2021). Academic leadership in the time of COVID-19—Experiences and perspectives. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 648344. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.648344
Fell, C. B., & König, C. J. (2020). Examining cross-cultural differences in academic faking in 41 nations. Applied Psychology, 69(2), 444–478. https://doi.org/10.1111/apps.12178
Fluck, A. E. (2019). An international review of e-Exam technologies and impact. Computers & Education, 132, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.12.008
Garg, M., & Goel, A. (2022). A systematic literature review on online assessment security: Current challenges and integrity strategies. Computers & Security, 113, 102544. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cose.2021.102544
Gupta, T., Shree, A., Chanda, P., & Banerjee, A. (2023). Online assessment techniques adopted by the university teachers amidst COVID-19 pandemic: A case study. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 8(1), 100579. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2023.100579
Haines, V. J., Diekhoff, G. M., LaBeff, E. E., & Clark, R. E. (1986). College cheating: Immaturity, lack of commitment, and the neutralizing attitude. Research in Higher Education, 25(4), 342–354. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00992130
Hills, M., & Peacock, K. (2022). Replacing power with flexible structure: Implementing flexible deadlines to improve student learning experiences. Teaching and Learning Inquiry, 10. https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.10.26
International Center for Academic Integrity. (2014). (July 2020) Fundamental values project. Available online https://www.academicintegrity.org/fundamental-values/
Janke, S., Rudert, S. C., Petersen, Ä., Fritz, T. M., & Daumiller, M. (2021). Cheating in the wake of COVID-19: How dangerous is ad-hoc online testing for academic integrity? Computers and Education Open, 2, 100055. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeo.2021.100055
Jensen, L. A., Arnett, J. J., Feldman, S. S., & Cauffman, E. (2002). It’s wrong, but everybody does it: Academic dishonesty among high school and college students. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 27(2), 209–228. https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.2001.1088
Karassavidou, E., & Glaveli, N. (2007). Ethical orientations of future Greek business people: Is anomia responsible for deviant ethical attitudes? Business Ethics: A European Review, 16(2), 114–123. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8608.2007.00482.x
Manoharan, S. (2019). Cheat-resistant multiple-choice examinations using personalization. Computers & Education, 130, 139–151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.11.007
Maramark, S., & Maline, M. B. (1993). Issues in education: Academic dishonesty among college students. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement.
Martin, D. E., Rao, A., & Sloan, L. R. (2011). Ethnicity, acculturation, and plagiarism: A criterion study of unethical academic conduct. Human Organization, 70(1), 88–96. https://doi.org/10.17730/humo.70.1.nl775v2u633678k6
Morgan, K., Adams, E., Elsobky, T. M., Brackbill, M., & Darr, A. (2021). Moving assessment online Experiences within a school of pharmacy. Online Learning, 25(1), 245–252. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v25i1.2580
Munoz, A., & Mackay, J. (2019). An online testing design choice typology towards cheating threat minimisation. Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice, 16(3), 54–70. https://doi.org/10.53761/1.16.3.5
Ngqondi, T., Maoneke, P. B., & Mauwa, H. (2021). A secure online exams conceptual framework for South African universities. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 3(1), 100132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2021.100132
Noorbehbahani, F., Mohammadi, A., & Aminazadeh, M. (2022). A systematic review of research on cheating in online exams from 2010 to 2021. Education and Information Technologies, 27(6), 8413–8460. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-10927-7
Nyumba, T., Wilson, K., Derrick, C. J., & Mukherjee, N. (2018). The use of focus group discussion methodology: Insights from two decades of application in conservation. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 9(1), 20–32. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210x.12860
Patael, S., Shamir, J., Soffer, T., Livne, E., Fogel-Grinvald, H., & Kishon-Rabin, L. (2022). Remote proctoring: Lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic effect on the large scale on-line assessment at Tel Aviv University. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 38(6), 1554–1573. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12746
Peled, Y., & Khaldi, S. (2013). Are discrimination, survival and tradition sufficient argument for academic dishonesty? Discrimination, survival and tradition as argumentation for academic dishonesty. Educational Practice and Theory, 35(1), 41–61. https://doi.org/10.7459/ept/35.1.04
Piascik, P., & Brazeau, G. A. (2010). Promoting a culture of academic integrity. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 74(6), 113. https://doi.org/10.5688/aj7406113
Railean, E. (2019). Plagiarism, licensing, and the proper use of digital textbooks. In Scholarly ethics and publishing: Breakthroughs in research and practice (pp. 568–581). IGI Global.
Reedy, A., Pfitzner, D., Rook, L., & Ellis, L. (2021). Responding to the COVID-19 emergency: student and academic staff perceptions of academic integrity in the transition to online exams at three Australian universities. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 17(1), 1–32. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-021-00075-9
Salehi, M., & Gholampour, S. (2021). Cheating on exams: Investigating reasons, attitudes, and the role of demographic variables. SAGE Open, 11(2), 21582440211004156. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211004156
Shrivastava, S. (2017). Unplagiarized writing-understanding, protecting and staying original for students & academia. International Journal of Social Sciences and Management, 4(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.3126/ijssm.v4i1.16434
Shute, V. J., & Kim, Y. J. (2014). Formative and stealth assessment. Handbook of research on educational communications and technology (pp. 311–321)
Stoesz, B. M. (2022). Understanding provincial and territorial academic integrity policies for elementary and secondary education in Canada. Academic integrity in Canada (pp. 141–161). Cham: Springer.
Stuart, J., O’Donnell, A. W., Scott, R., O’Donnell, K., Lund, R., & Barber, B. (2022). Asynchronous and synchronous remote teaching and academic outcomes during COVID-19. Distance Education, 43(3), 408–425. https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2022.2088477
Svartdal, F., Dahl, T. I., Gamst-Klaussen, T., Koppenborg, M., & Klingsieck, K. B. (2020). How study environments foster academic procrastination: Overview and recommendations. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 3005. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.540910
Tsaousis, I. (2016). The relationship of self-esteem to bullying perpetration and peer victimization among schoolchildren and adolescents: A meta-analytic review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 31, 186–199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2016.09.005
Turner, S. W., & Uludag, S. (2013). Student perceptions of cheating in online and traditional classes. In Proceedings - Frontiers in Education Conference, FIE, (October 2013) (pp. 1131–1137)
Vadivel, B., Namaziandost, E., & Saeedian, A. (2021). Progress in english language teaching through continuous professional development—Teachers’ self-awareness, perception, and feedback. Frontiers in Education, 6, 757285. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.757285
Watson, G., & Sottile, J. (2010). Cheating in the digital age: Do students cheat more in online courses? Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 13(1)
Xu, Z. (2015). Just Do It! Reducing academic procrastination of secondary students. Intervention in School and Clinic, 51(4), 212–219. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053451215589178
Zacarian, D., & Silverstone, M. (2020). Teaching to empower: Taking action to foster student agency, self-confidence, and collaboration. United States: ASCD.
Zalma, J. M. (2018). Academic dishonesty among international students: Exploring aspects of language and culture (Doctoral dissertation, University of Southern California).
Zarzycka, E., Krasodomska, J., Mazurczak-Mąka, A., & Turek-Radwan, M. (2021). Distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: Students’ communication and collaboration and the role of social media. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 8(1), 1953228. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2021.1953228
Zhang, C., Yan, X., & Wang, J. (2021). EFL teachers’ online assessment practices during the COVID-19 pandemic: Changes and mediating factors. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 30(6), 499–507. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-021-00589-3
Funding
No funding organizations.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Alireza Maleki posed the main idea for this research and was also responsible for data gathering process. He was also responsible for analyzing the data and writing and revising the manuscript.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing Interests
I have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Appendix: Ranking Scale
Appendix: Ranking Scale
Instruction: The below themes are extracted from the online focus group discussions. Based on your own opinion, please assign ranks to these themes based on their significance in the given box in front of each one. Please assign a unique rank to each category. Avoid assigning the same rank to multiple categories. If you are unsure about the relative importance of two categories, try to make a decision based on your best judgment. Your responses will be kept confidential and used for research purposes only.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Maleki, A. “It is Not Only About US!”: Investigating EFL Learners’ Perspectives Towards Reasons of Online Exam Cheating. J Acad Ethics (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-024-09508-9
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10805-024-09508-9