Tuesday 15 April 2014

Implications for Counselling in Examination Malpractice

If credence is to be given to certificates from Nigerian schools, and if the products are to be given the much desired respect in the international labour market, there is the great need for revolutionary steps to be taken by stakeholders of the educational sector and society in general to eradicate the crisis of examination misconduct currently pervading the Nigerian school system. In addition, in view of the fact that parents, guardians and teachers are the main custodians of the students there is need to carry out a pragmatic counselling interventions on these groups of stakeholders.
    The results of this study point to the fact that the majority of students have a wrong notion about examination ethics. For example, they conceive examination ethics to include the parents supporting their children to cheat; and school principals arranging corporate cheating in their schools. It is in this regard that school counsellors may consider advocating the introduction of examination ethics club and through the club activities; useful information will be disseminated to all students and staff of the institutions. School counsellors could even go further by collaborating with examination ethics club to arrange debates in the media to create public awareness about the virtues of examination ethics.

    The school counsellor by the virtue of his/her training is well equipped to guide students towards achieving optimal behaviour during the conduct of examination. This can be achieved through: maintenance of effective communication network between counsellors and students, counsellors and teachers, counsellors and principals, and school counsellors and significant others, giving impromptu talks to individuals and groups of students on the expected behaviour before and during examinations – this helps to sensitize the students and reduce phobia, anxiety and tension usually associated with examination, delivering lectures on how to study effectively and prepare for examinations, formulating and adopting a personal reading time table, organizing talks on examination ethics and sanctions, at least, to all the students at the beginning of every term and a week before the examination, informing teachers/ invigilators on the expected behaviour during examination (this exercise should be carried out every term in collaboration with the vice-principals (academics) and the examination officers), and encouraging subject teachers to refer students who need academic counselling to the counsellors in good time.
    Apart from referrals made on students to counselling centres, school counsellors should on their own identify weak students and hold counselling sessions with them; counsellors should also tap information from brilliant and disciplined students on how they study and write examinations – this will form a masterpiece to assist other students. In addition, counsellors should encourage students to dissociate themselves from any form of examination malpractice and to expose such immediately to the counsellor who will not divulge the name of such good candidate but use the information.
    Even though the majority of the students in this study did not believe that lack of self-confidence makes them to cheat in examinations, however, a significant proportion of the participants (34.5%) reported that lack of self-confidence in examinations make them to be involved in examination malpractices. It is in this regard that school counsellors should aim at assisting students who lack self-confidence to build up their self-confidence so that they will shun any kind of examination malpractices. In addition, counsellors should use facilities available to him/her to screen students' academic needs. The study habit of inventory, the attitude to academic subject scale and the self-concept scale will be very helpful and would be relevant in guiding students in making appropriate subjects selection so that they will chose careers they are well suited for and are interested in.
    In view of the fact that some parents and teachers encourage students to indulge in examination malpractices, it is advocated that school counsellors be in constant touch with the parents and teachers. through discussion with the students, school counsellors will be able to find out their views about examination malpractice and how it can be completely curbed. School counsellors could further sensitize the students on how to resist any indulgence in examination malpractices. Furthermore, the Parent Teachers Association forum could be used to talk to parents on the issue. Also formal training of examiners in terms of expected conduct should be organized periodically.
    Through these networking of activities, it is believed that the students, teacher, parents, guardians and other relevant stakeholders will imbibe examination ethics so as to have a wholesome perception of the ills of examination malpractice. Thus, it is anticipated that when these interventions are fully applied, they will facilitate positive behaviour towards studying and taking examination, which will in the long run reduce, if not eliminate examination malpractice.


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