The causes of examination malpractice can be
broadly classified into two – external and internal, that is, institution and
society based.
External Factors: These are factors or determinants of examination
malpractice which are outside the school environment but which govern, control,
dictate and interpret all that happens within the school system. Akpotu (1998)
listed them to include:
1. The Moral Tone
of the Society: It is a
statement of truth that the school, like any other social institution, does not
exist in vacuum, rather it exists within a geopolitical and social milieu.
Hence, behaviours are expected to conform and reflect with acceptable societal
norms and mores as regards various functional roles and execution of duties and
services. Okafor (1990) blamed the society for examination malpractice
according to him, in a country where dishonesty has been enshrined by the adult
sector as an idol of worship, children have learnt to steal with impunity.
However, examination malpractice in all shades and forms has become the order
of the day among our students at all levels of the educational arrangement.
2. The Value
System of the Society: Examination
malpractice is the product of a society that nurtures cheats and mediocre and
turns them into celebrities. It is a reflection of the moral decadence of our
society where we have pen robbers, armed robbers, smugglers and drug barons who
are gloried by the grace of their ill-gotten wealth (Jibril, 1991).
3. The Role of
Parents and Adult Members of the Society:
Parents provide their children and wards with money to buy live examination
questions. also, the Nigerian youths so innocently and helplessly watch their
parents and the older members of the society and even law enforcement agents as
they engage in their various dubious business deals. Thus, the corrupt
practices of parents and adult members of the society consciously and
unconsciously influence the value judgment of the Nigerian youth. Above all,
the cooperation which the youths received from the adult members of the society
and of the school in perpetuating examination malpractice further encourage and
teach the innocent youth that society so cherish uphold the great evil –
examination malpractice (Akpotu, 1998). According to him, another role which
parents play in the perpetuation of examination malpractice is their inflected
expectation from their children. Most parents often dictate the course or
discipline they want their children to pursue. Such parents desire to achieve
their unattained dreams in their children without due consideration of the
child’s intellectual ability. In the circumstance, different illegal means will
be adopted to make the child what he cannot be.
4. The Role of
Government Agencies: Government
agencies in charge of education and examinations like the Ministry of
Education, WAEC officials, supervisors and invigilators as well as the law
enforcement agents contribute in different ways to examination malpractice.
These agencies and bodies, either by omission or commission connive, aid and
abet while at the same time pretend to be against examination malpractice.
Internal
Factors: The level of
knowledge and skill acquisition of students determines their involvement in
examination malpractice. Majority of Nigerian students no longer see knowledge
and skill acquisition as necessary anymore (Akpotu, 1998). Anyaegbunam (1979)
contended that many students do not know much about the subject matter
concerned in the course before entering the examination hall. He further remarked
that some are too lazy even to read the question paper carefully and understand
the questions asked. Dale (1979) claimed that most often than not students
embark on their serious study belatedly. As a result, they soon come to realize
that they are unable to revise the volume of work thoroughly before the d-day.
In other to pass an examination for which they are so ill-prepared they adopt
methods that will enable them to cheat in examinations.
Empirical
studies have identified that basic factors responsible for student’s
involvement in examination malpractices. Ugwuegbu (1974) observed that students
indulge in examination malpractice to avoid failure and to consolidate their
excellence in performance. On the other hand, Aliyu (1997) emphasized that students
involve themselves in examination malpractice because of anxiety over
non-completion of the syllabus and opportunity of cheating in the traditional
one-shot examination system. Mohammed and Gyallesu (1995) find that students
cheat in examination because of fear of failure, low entry qualification,
carelessness on the part of the invigilators and lack of guidance and
counseling services. Shonekan (1996) remarked that cheating emanates from
inadequate coverage of the teaching and learning process, poor interpretation
of examination results by end users as a result of intensive competition for
the few vacancies, moral decadence in the society resulting in a poor value
system.
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