There is growing evidence that cheating is becoming more common and more accepted among North American high school students. A recent national survey conducted by Rutgers’ Management Education Center found that 75% of the 4,500 students questioned had participated in serious cheating. In addition, more that 50% admitted they had plagiarized work from the Internet. Perhaps the most disturbing finding of the study is that many respondents don’t see anything wrong with cheating. In fact, for many students, cheating has become a survival technique in high school.
There is increasing pressure on students to achieve high marks and it is becoming more difficult to get accepted into good colleges and universities. According to some students, cheating is an efficient way to cut corners and more and more students are using this shortcut. Others do not think that copying questions and answers from a test is even cheating.
Many students believe that getting good grades is more important than being honest. They think that better grades lead to better colleges and universities and better universities lead to better careers and better lives. As one student stated, “What’s important is getting ahead. It’s not how moral you were in getting there.”
Pre-Reading Warm Up Questions :
- What was the punishment for cheating in your high school?
- What happens to students who cheat in university in your country?
- Do you know anyone who has ever been caught cheating?
- Have you ever cheated on any tests?
- What does plagiarism mean?