Table 6 Reasons for academic dishonesty among study participants
From: Causes and mitigation of academic dishonesty among healthcare students in a Nigerian university
S/N | Statement (N = 335) | Frequency (%)a |
|---|---|---|
1 | Fear of failure | 258 (77.0) |
2 | Lack of preparation | 240 (71.6) |
3 | Heavy workload | 225 (67.2) |
4 | Exam tension and stress | 218 (65.1) |
5 | Poor study skills | 217 (64.8) |
6 | Lack of time to prepare for examination | 204 (60.9) |
7 | Because of pressure from parents to get good grades | 201 (60.0) |
8 | Different standards and expectations on academic integrity among lecturers | 193 (57.6) |
9 | Because the university only recognises those with good grades | 144 (42.9) |
10 | Social stigma and peer pressure | 124 (37.0) |
11 | Low self esteem | 121 (36.1) |
12 | Lack of understanding of what constitutes academic dishonesty | 106 (31.6) |
13 | Lack of awareness of the consequences of academic dishonesty | 100 (29.9) |
14 | Carelessness of the lecturer/invigilator | 89 (26.6) |
15 | Because everyone does it | 78 (23.3) |
16 | Having a habit of self-justification | 60 (17.9) |
17 | Because it is a life hack to passing an exam | 56 (16.7) |
18 | Because of less likelihood of getting caught | 54 (16.1) |
19 | Because even when caught, no punishment is given | 38 (11.3) |
20 | Because it is not possible to pass with good grades without engaging in cheating | 26 (7.8) |
21 | Student laziness | 10 (2.9) |
22 | Poor teaching methods | 6 (1.8) |
23 | Teacher’s lack of skills; Forgetfulness; Dishonest lecturers; Lack of seriousness; Poor attitude of students towards learning; Students’ lack of understanding of course; | 4 (1.2)b |
24 | Bulky notes by lecturers; Students’ lack of discipline; Fear of having a low score; Lack of setting of application questions during exams | 3 (0.9)b |
25 | Lack of supportive lecturers; Students’ lack of interest; Lazy lecturers; Poor student–lecturer relationship; Student being forced to study the course | 2 (0.6)b |
26 | Poor marking scheme; Difficult exam questions; Lack of tutorials; Difficulty of courses | 1 (0.3)b |