Chapter One
Introduction
Background of the Study
Students
are generally recognized as essential inputs in any educational endeavor and
they form the parameter on which the assessment of the achievement or not of
the goals of education revolves. School management therefore attempts through
the teaching and learning process to direct their activities to conform to the
outlined philosophy of education in Nigeria. Basically, much importance and
attention is ascribed by educational managers to the intellectual and moral
development of students.
Recent
research on students’ achievements in the main focused on factors that
influenced performance. The discussion essentially centers on the relative
ability of the student to achieve
high level grades and not necessarily on how
the student achieved such grades. The researchers, no doubt operated on the
premise that students who achieve better grades were deemed more intelligent,
hardworking and acquired better study habits (Koko, 1993 and Festus, 1997). The
assumption was that once a student acquires basic cognitive and affective characteristics,
excellent achievement was assured.
Pathetically,
in the Nigerian educational system the degrees and diplomas are awarded to the
students on the basis of character and learning. Yet, recent development
indicate that while it may seem easy to assess students’ performance through
tests, to establish the level of acceptable conduct while undergoing the
examination is a herculean task.
A
1975 – 76 Carnegie survey reports that eighty-two percent of college and
university faculty believe that firm moral values are important in education.
Yet, evidence abound pointing to the fact that students now resort to diverse
dishonest and unacceptable behaviours in an effort to obtain high grades in
school. Ayua in Okonkwo (1996) observed that students’ misconduct has totally
compromised the integrity of both the admission and examination process and
that the moral discipline that education should impart is not acquired.
Afolabi
(1992) opined that one of the factors of indiscipline in schools today is
dishonesty. Asonibare and Mordi (1990) identified cheating, by spying on other
students work or bringing copied answer scripts to examination hall as one of
the indices of indiscipline. Similarly, Usen (1991), Asonibare and Mordi (1990)
and Ekezi (1996), all in their different works agreed that the most dangerous
fraudulent and corrupt practices in Nigerian schools is students’ involvement
in examination malpractice. To further support these observations and findings,
a 1979 Carnegie Report “Fair Practices in Higher Education” stated that 8.8
percent of undergraduates report that some forms of cheating are necessary to
get the grades they want. And larger proportions of students admit to
spontaneous forms of cheating on an examination. Pathetically, the outlined
acts or characteristics are, no doubt, dishonest behaviours and indicate a
general decline in integrity of ethical conduct on campuses.
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