IMPACT OF CHEATING UNIVERSITY EXAMINATION ON QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN KENYA: A CASE OF UMMA UNIVERSITY, KENYA

Abstract

There is adequate consensus among researchers that cheating is widely practiced by students and poses a serious problem across college campuses. Previous studies of academic dishonesty have systematically identified the psychological and social variables correlated to cheating, but how students actually cheat has often been overlooked. Using in-depth narratives from 60 students enrolled in certificate, diploma and undergraduate in university class, this paper examines the variety of creative tactics that students use to cheat during end semester and continuous examinations. Findings indicate that students manipulate variables such as the psychological and behavioral profiles of their lecturers, unwitting accomplices, technology, peers, spatial environments, and their own bodies, to negotiate the contingent of academic dishonesty. University lecturers also contribute in one way or other when they fail to covered syllabus on required time, students may cheat in exams. The exam environment also plays a major part in malpractice when you take students to overcrowded classrooms there is likelihood for them to copy from each other. Exam cheating is rampant in both colleges and universities since most of students are adults and others are engaged in part-time work they may have limited time to study and concentrate in academic work, others may have financial challenges, the whole semester may end while they are looking for fees. This may distract them from attending lectures and when exam time arrives they may resort on how to pass the exam .When such students graduate from university using that short cut to success they may not fit in market It is common to find a university graduate who cannot innovate simple idea. In light of the above, this research was done to analyze the Impact of cheating university examination on quality of education in Kenya. The main objective was to find out the impact of cheating university examination on the quality of education in Kenya. The findings of the research is that exam cheating is rampant in both colleges and universities since most of students are adults and others are engaged in part-time work they may have limited time to study and concentrate in academic work, others may have financial challenges, the whole semester may end while they are looking for fees. Students also engage in various techniques of cheating exams, some of the sophisticated. Strict university policies should be structured and implementations assured. In future, Kenya needs to come up with university central examination board that regulates examinations in Kenyan universities.

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