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Tuesday, May 6, 2008
How much do students cheat?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A friend of mine has been teaching high school English in the area for about 15 years. Every year she catches more and more kids who cheat. They cheat on tests. They copy homework. They plagiarize papers they found on the Internet.
That’s not the worst part. When she confronts them, many just shrug. Some say everyone’s doing it. Others say it’s the only way to stay ahead in school and get good grades for college.
Nearly four in 10 teenagers say they have plagiarized or cheated on a test, according to a national poll released in December. That poll, co-sponsored by the group that runs the Junior Achievement entrepreneurship program, showed that about half of the students justified their actions by saying they felt an overwhelming pressure to succeed.
It’s easy to cheat. Web sites like schoolsucks.com provide students with papers they can download on nearly any topic.
Teachers can catch these kids by using other Web sites. Turnitin.com searches the Web for writing that matches what students turned in.
Do you think more students are cheating? Why do you think so many students believe it’s acceptable?
