CHEATING BEHAVIOR IN EXAMINATION:

A STUDY WITH A PHENOMENOLOGICAL VIEW

ABOUT CHEATING

A Research Paper Presented to the Faculty of the

College of Education-Laboratory School
Tarlac Agricultural University
Malacampa, Camiling, Tarlac

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements In

Practical Research I- Qualitative Research

By

GABRIEL TUBIG BRAVO

VINCE ALAIN ANTONIO FERRER
DWYNETTE UZZIAH PEREZ EVANGELISTA
AMADOR EMMANUEL RIVERA CASIÑO

May 2021
 APPROVAL SHEET

In partial fulfillment of the requirements in Practical Research 1-Qualitative Research,

this research entitled “Cheating Behavior in Examination: Perspective of Grade 9 Students on
Academic Dishonesty in Tarlac Agricultural University A.Y. 2019-2020” prepared and
submitted by GABRIEL T. BRAVO, AMADOR EMMANUEL R. CASIÑO , DWYNETTE
UZZIAH P. EVANGELISTA AND VINCE ALLAIN A. FERRER , has been examined and
is recommended for approval and acceptance.

Approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements in Practical Research 1- Qualitative

Research by the Examining Committee.

LEA CREDO, LPT

Subject Teacher

KAREN A. MARIANO TAU-LS

Principal

ii
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First, prayers and thanks to the Almighty God for his guidance and divine graces in the
knowledge, perseverance and dedication to the researchers for the fruitful completion of their
study. These important persons are also thankful to the researchers:

Of course, all credit goes to their parents (Mr. Davidson G. Bravo and Ms. Jenina T.
Bravo, Atty. Amador P. Casiño and Catherine R. Casiño, Mr. Edwin S. Evangelista and Ms.
Monaliza P. Evangelista, Mr. Vincent R. Ferrer and Mrs. Aileen A. Ferrer,) for their assistance
and moral support during the researchers' needs.

Ms. Lea Credo, their subject teacher, for sharing her expertise and guiding the researchers
in completing this study.

Sir John Paul C. Demapendan, the researchers' mentor, who generously shared his skills,
expertise, and learnings in order to enhance the researchers' and for his perseverance and
dependability in leading the researchers to develop their analysis and make it a success.

Blank , for being hands-on, cooperative, and understanding to the researchers before the
analysis was completed. The researchers thank the respondents for their support and generosity.
Success would have been unlikely without their support.

Researchers’ most beloved friends and classmates , for the support, motivations, and
inspiration that they have given to drive the researchers to finish their study.

Finally, thanks to the friendship and unforgettable experiences that they shared during the
semester, they were able to complete their study paper.

GABRIEL, AMADOR , DWYNETTE , VINCE

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 Biographical Sketch

One of the researchers, Vince Alain A. Ferrer, was born on June 11, 2004 in Tarlac City,
and he is now currently living in Malacampa, Camiling, Tarlac. He is the youngest son of
Vincent R. Ferrer and Aileen A. Ferrer. He has two eldest siblings, Jan Alvince A. Ferrer and
Franchette Alodia Ferrer.

He graduated at Malacampa Elementary School, and after he graduated, he got into Tarlac
Agricultural University as a student in Labaratory School. He made new friends at this school
and enjoyed his High School life with these friends of him. He also learned many new things at
this school. His hobby consists of playing Video Games, Reading Mangas, and Watching Anime.
After graduating at this school, he wants to pursue Medicine, because he wants to become a
doctor in the future to help people.

He is now currently at his 11th year as a STEM student at Tarlac Agricultural University.
He is not that great at school, and he is also not bad at school. He is a normal student, with a
normal life.

VINCE ALAIN A. FERRER

Researcher

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 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Born on the 25th day of November 2003, Gabriel T. Bravo was born in Tarlac City, a
senior high school resident. He is currently residing on Rizal Street in Camiling, Tarlac. He is
Davidson Bravo's and Jenina Bravo's eldest son. He has one sibling, Danille Ada Bravo.

He finished primary school in the Central School of Camiling. He then agreed to take an
entrance examination at the Junior High School Tarlac Agricultural University. He was then
accepted to the science curriculum. He now studies as eleventh grade during the STEM course at
the Tarlac University of Agriculture. He had to face many challenges and difficulties and
through his experiences he was maturing in his secondary school life. Furthermore, he has
improved academically and with his skills over the last year.

GABRIEL T. BRAVO

Researcher

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 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Amador Emmanuel R. Casiño, one of the researchers, was born on the 26 th day of
February, on the year 2004, in the UST Hospital in Manila. He is the youngest child among the 3
children of Atty. Amador P. Casiño Jr and Catherine R. Casiño, And now he currently resides In
the municipality of Camiling, Tarlac.

He finished his elementary at Camiling Central Elementary School, in the section of

Special Science. He finished junior high school at the Tarlac Agricultural University –
Laboratory school with honors. His hobbies are socializing, reading books, and sleeping. He
believes in naturalism and is fond of the possibilities the future may offer.

He is now in Grade 11, at the Tarlac Agricultural University-Senior High School, as A

STEM student. He is currently unsure of the career that he must choose but understands that the
path ahead will be unforgiving but is determined to finish to give himself and his family a better
and easier way of life.

AMADOR EMMANUEL R. CASIÑO

Researcher

vi
 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Born on the 4th of day of March 2004, Dwynette Uzziah P. Evangelista was born in
Valenzuela City, a senior high school resident. He is currently residing on Purok 1 Bilad in
Camiling, Tarlac. He is Edwin Evangelista’s and Monaliza Evangelista’s eldest son. He has two
siblings, Eiza George Evangelista and Winona Faith Evangelista.

He finished primary school in the Central School of Camiling. He then decided to take
examination at the Junior High School of Tarlac Agricultural University. He was then accepted
to the science curriculum. He now studies as eleventh grade with the course of STEM of Tarlac
Agricultural University. He had to face many struggles and challenges as a key for him to mature
through his secondary school life. Furthermore, he has improved academically and also learned
more and honed his skills and talents over the last few years.

DWYNETTE UZZIAH P. EVANGELISTA

Researcher

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

PRELIMINARIES PAGE
Title Page i

Approval Sheet ii

Acknowledgement iii

Table of Contents viii

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction of the Study 1

Statement of the Problem 2

Objectives of the Study 2

Significance of the Study 3

Scope and Delimitation 3

Definition of Terms 4

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

Related Literature 6

Related Studies 10

Theoretical Framework 13

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RESEARCH METHODS AND SOURCES OF DATA

Research Design 13

Locale of the Study 13

Unit of Analysis 13

Respondents and Sampling Procedures 14

Data Gathering Instruments 14

Data Gathering Procedures 14

Analysis of Data 14

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 16

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Summary

Conclusion

Recommendation

LITERATURE CITED

APPENDICES

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 Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND IT’S BACKGROUND

Introduction

Academic integrity in students has been recognized as a fundamental objective of higher

education. Traditionally, it has been a highly regarded ideal in colleges and universities, one
which symbolized the essence of learning. Honest endeavor on the part of students was the
expected norm, even though infractions did occur. Although academic integrity is still an
objective in theory, it loses ground to academic dishonesty in actual practice. Higher education is
riot synonymous with academic integrity. The problem of academic dishonesty is a disturbing
trend that is difficult to accept, much less to understand and explain.

Cheating academically is a form of dishonesty where students act unfairly and deceitful
in order to gain an advantage specially when they’re taking an examination, quizzes, and
activities. Cheating is a huge and serious problem in many schools around the world. It is also a
problem to other students as well, students who gave their all and answered the questions while
the other students cheat, it’s unfair to other students. Students cheat because they don’t want to
get a failure grade and this gives them a false accomplishment that they did something, but in
fact they didn’t do a thing.

Why do students cheat in examinations? For some teachers there is comfort to be found
in the rationalized reply that the dishonest students cheat only to themselves. But there are others
who view cheating as evidence of a basic defect of character (Charles A. Drake, 2016).

Academic dishonesty among students is a growing concern for higher education

(Bushweller, 1999). It takes place in primary, secondary, high school and college and even in
programs at master level. With the evolving technology making access to various tools easier,
adolescents will have to choose their academic integrity or dishonesty
 Adolescents are affected by what their peers do, and they shape peer groups based on
common interests. Peer power is at its peak in their lives at this stage. When a "unpopular"
student is approached by a group of "popular" peers who want an assignment or a past exam and
says that the "unpopular" student will join their group of friends if they give them what they
want, the "unpopular" student is likely to give them what they want. Peers may be affected by
what their peers are doing. If their peers in their peer group choose academic dishonesty, they are
more likely to follow suit (McCabe,1999).

Statement of the Problem

1. How do the students perceive cheating in examinations?

2. What are the perceived cheating behaviors of the students?

3. Experiences in dishonesty in examinations?

Objectives of the study

This study was conducted to:

1. To identify the students’ perception of cheating in examinations.

2. To determine the perceived cheating behaviors of the students.

3. To gain insight of their experiences in dishonesty in examinations

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Significance of the Study

The results that we are going to get at the end of this study is beneficial for the people
who wish to understand the students’ behavior when it comes to cheating academically. And this
study will also provide awareness not only to those students, but also to the Teachers, and
Parents.

To the Students, this study will spread awareness to the students whether they may be
cheating or not. This study will also provide information about the Students’ perspective on
cheating academically, and information about what they think about cheating academically.

To the Teachers, the result of this study will provide the teachers information on how to
cope up with students who are cheating academically. And this study will also act as a guide for
Teachers.

To the Parents, this study will help to understand parents on the Students’ or even their
kid’s behavior when it comes to cheating academically. This can also act as a guide for Parents
on how to console their kids if ever they cheat in school.

Scope and Delimitations of the Study

This study focuses on the perspective of the respondents on the topic of cheating
academically. This study was conducted to determine the respondents’ views on cheating, and
how it affects them. The respondents of this study are Grade 9 students at Tarlac Agricultural
University-Laboratory School. The researchers chose Interview as their Data Gathering Method
to gather information.

This study was delimited to 12 random students in Grade 9 at Tarlac Agricultural

University-Laboratory School. This study was delimited only to the perspective of the
respondents on the topic ‘cheating academically’ and the effect of the so-called cheating in their
life. This study was delimited to the respondents’ past experience.

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Definition of Terms

Academic. It refers in relating to education and scholarship.

Adolescent. It refers to young people. A minor teenager boy or girl.

Behavior. It refers to the way in which one acts or conducts oneself.

Cheating. It refers to act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage, especially

in game or examination.
Cite. It refers in giving a passage, book, or author as evidence for or justification of an
argument or statement, especially in a scholarly work.

Defrauding. It refers to an act of falsification.

Dishonesty. It refers to act falsely or without honesty. It is an act of lack in integrity. It is

used to describe a lack of probity, cheating, lying, or deliberately withholding information.

Endeavor. It refers to an act to try hard or attempt to achieve a goal or something.

Examination. It refers to a formal test of a person’s knowledge or proficiency in a

particular subject or skill.

Fictitious. It refers to not real or true, being imaginary or having been fabricated.

Integrity. It refers to the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles;
moral uprightness.

Peer. It refers to a person of the same age, status, or ability as another specified person.

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 Perspective. It refers to a particular view toward or way of regarding something; a point
of view.

Plagiarism. It refers to the act or representing another author’s language, emotions,

ideas, or phrases as one’s own.

Repercussion. It refers to an unintended consequence occurring sometime after an event

or action. A karma or backfire.

Suit. It refers to be convenient for or acceptable to. An act entirely to one’s own wishes.

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 Chapter II: Literature Review

This chapter will discuss the role of the classroom teacher and the school climate in
academic dishonesty, as well as why teenagers prefer academic dishonesty to academic integrity.
It will also look at some of the methods that students use to cheat in school.

It will also briefly examine what school counselors, teachers, and other officials should
do to avoid academic dishonesty.

Related Literature

Influences on Academic Dishonesty

The school environment. Academic dishonesty can be facilitated by the school climate.
Academic dishonesty may be reinforced or discouraged by teachers and other employees. It is
the staff's and the school district's duty to develop specific rules and policies regarding Academic
dishonesty is a form of academic dishonesty. Many schools may already have this in their
student handbooks, but students may believe that printing it in the handbook and reading over it
on the first day of school has no effect on their decision to choose academic dishonesty over
academic integrity (McCabe, 1999).

Academic dishonesty may be facilitated or prevented by classroom teachers, counselors,

and administration. When a teacher catches a student cheating and does nothing about it, other
students will see it as a simple way to do the same thing and not face repercussions. Simply put,
when teachers or administration do not care, it provides students with the opportunity they need
to cheat on assignments or exams (Riera & Di Prisco, 2002). This will result in a negative
atmosphere in a school system. Instead of taking advantage of an opportunity to teach students
about integrity, the school encourages intellectual dishonesty. In effect, the school could be
defrauding the students. This will result in a negative atmosphere in a school system. Instead of
taking advantage of an opportunity to teach students about integrity, the school encourages

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intellectual dishonesty. In essence, the school may end up cheating the student by failing to
capitalize on an opportunity to teach the importance of honesty (Riera & Di Prisco, 2002).

Academic dishonesty is also influenced by teacher reputation. Anderman, Cupp, and

Lane (2010) discovered a correlation between the teacher's perceived reputation and the student's
motivation and learning. Students are less likely to cheat in class if they believe they have a
better chance of succeeding. Teachers are regarded as trustworthy. Murdock, Hale, and Weber
(2001) discovered a similar relationship; students indicated that academic dishonesty was less
likely to occur when they perceived their teachers to be valued by the students and
committed to their work.

Factors related to family and academic dishonesty Adolescents can cheat for a variety of
reasons. Adolescents can feel enormous pressure from their peers or parents to perform to a level
that they believe they are incapable of meeting (Kleiner & Lord, 1999). They can resort to
cheating to relieve some of the stress (Strom & Strom, 2007). Other teenagers can act on their
impulsiveness (Anderman et al., 2010). Academic dishonesty in adolescents can also be
motivated by academic and social factors (Murdock et al., 2001).

Parents put a lot of pressure on their children to succeed. Some parents give their children
money as a reward. They will be awarded $100 for every A on their report card. As a result, their
child may become overly competitive with other students, and they may cheat on assignments
and exams in order to obtain a high score on those and their report card. Parental pressure on
children may have both positive and negative consequences. Students may feel pressured to
perform to the best of their abilities. However, if the pressure becomes too much for them, they
can break. Cracking under pressure and feeling frustrated can also play a role in why students
want to cheat (Kleiner & Klein).Students may feel pressured to perform to the best of their
abilities. However, if the pressure becomes too much for them, they can break. Cracking under
pressure and feeling frustrated can also play a role in why students cheat (Kleiner & Lord, 1999;
Riera & Di Prisco, 2002). When parents compare their children to one another, pressure may
build up. Sibling rivalry or competition between siblings can be intense at times.

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 Peer influences. Peer pressure may be a significant motivator for teenage activity. Peers
may have a significant impact on academic dishonesty during adolescence. Most people
understand that cheating is unethical. They observe their peers' practices and attitudes toward
academic dishonesty and attempt to imitate them (Rettinger & Kramer, 2009). In essence, this is
establishing a cheating culture inside a school (Rettinger & Kramer, 2009). Rettinger and
Kramer (2009) discovered that when students have intimate knowledge of each other cheating,
they are more likely to engage in the same activity.

Related Studies

Academic dishonesty on term papers was also discovered to be a widespread problem.

Harp and Taietz (1966: 366) performed a survey within a stratified random group of male
students from an Ivy League university's three largest colleges to assess the prevalence of this
behaviour. There was a statistically important disparity in frequency between the freshmen and
senior years, according to these researchers. The College of Agriculture saw a rise from eighteen
and four-tenths percent to fifty-five and seven-tenths percent; the College of Arts and Sciences
saw an increase from twelve and three-tenths percent to twenty-nine and nine-tenths percent; and
the College of Engineering saw an increase from twelve and three-tenths percent to twenty-nine
and nine-tenths percent.There was an improvement from eighteen and four-tenths percent to
fifty-five and seven-tenths percent in the College of Agriculture; an increase from twelve and
three-tenths percent to twenty-nine and nine-tenths percent in the College of Arts and Sciences;
and an increase from twenty-six and one-tenth percent to fifty-nine and seven-tenths percent in
the College of Engineering. In all three of these schools, the prevalence was greatest in the junior
and senior years (Harp, Taietz, 1966: 367)

During their studies, many students commit some form of academic dishonesty, such as
cheating and plagiarism, often higher grades than they are capable of. The current widespread
use of Internet, mobile and wireless devices has made it easier for students to illegally access
information and at the same time it has become difficult for academic institution to control and
discover such instances. Hence it is essential that students become aware of the seriousness of
this offenses and be encouraged to avoid them.

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 In the academic field cheating is not a new phenomenon. The only recent change is in the
way students cheat, mostly due to is of access to the Internet and the richness of the web research
and the popularity of mobile and wireless devices (Manar Hosny, Shameem Fatima, 2014).

Cheating occurs in pharmacy schools and is motivated by fear of failure, procrastination,

and stress. A history of past cheating predicts pharmacy school cheating. The information
presented may help programs better understand their student population and lead to a
reassessment of ethical culture, testing procedures, and prevention programs. (Eric Ip, Kathy
Nguyen, Bijal Shah, Shadi Doroudgar, Monica Bidwal, 2016)

Surveys of American Students at all levels, from elementary school to graduate school,
also reveal self-reported cheating on homework assignments and tests. Perhaps the kind of
cheating that has received the most recent attention in educational contexts is when educators are
found to have changed students’ answer on state-mandated achievement tests, either for the
purpose of ostensibly helping the student avoid being retained in grade, denied a diploma, or
some other consequences, or for the purpose of aiding the educator to obtain a monetary bonus,
personal professional recognition, or to help the educator’s school meet an overall achievement
goal.

It might be argued that some cheating has more serious and has more serious and far-
reaching consequences than other cheating. Indeed, the consequences of a third-grader copying
the correct word on a spelling test from a nearby classmate would seem to be less concern than
an aspiring but incompetent physician obtaining an advance copy of the test that will be used to
determine whether he or she is licensed to practice medicine. (Gregory Cizek, James Wollack,
2017)
Academic dishonesty has gained popularity in the online cheating world of distance
education learning over the last decade. Students may employ a wide range of online services to
write research papers, complete homework assignments, or enroll on behalf of the student on
record to take the entire online course with a few quick keystrokes. Although higher education
institutions have seen online learning as a means of increasing student enrollments and thereby

9
increasing their bottom line, the number of Internet cheating companies that promote academic
dishonesty has also grown. Academic dishonesty has become more common in the online world,
leaving professors with a difficult task. (Moten, James, Jr; Fitterer, Alex; Brazier, Elise; Leonard,
Jonathan; Brown, Avis, June 2013)

Cheating on elementary school students has been going on for a long time, but teachers
and schools are still struggling to deal with it. Cheating can lead to children being dishonest in
their pursuit of a high score. Furthermore, cheating would have an effect on students before they
reach. Adulthood. Other students who have worked hard and been fair in completing tests and
assignments from teachers at school will be harmed by this behavior. Cheating is a deceptive,
fraudulent act that justifies doing anything to get a high score on an assignment, especially on
tests or exams. (Daviq Chairilsyah, 2020)

In this study, 673 college students from the United States, France, and Greece were asked
to consider the importance of social learning theory in explaining academic dishonesty. Beyond
the personal factor of conscientiousness and the demographic factor of age, we found support for
social learning theory in that perceived peer dishonesty was incrementally true as a predictor of
self-reported academic dishonesty across here countries. The perceived punishment for academic
cheating earned help only in the US study, contrary to expectations. After adjusting for other
variables such as age, conscientiousness, perceived punishment for cheating and peer dishonesty
across three nations, justification for academic dishonesty contributed incremental variation.
Furthermore, cultural variations accounted for nearly half of the explained variation in academic
dishonesty, with French students allegedly cheating substantially more than Greek and American
students. The topic of business ethics teaching and study was discussed, as well as its
implications. (Nhung T. Hendy, Nathalie Montargot, Antigoni Papadimitriou, 2021)

Academic fraud has become an albatross for higher education administrators, with long-
term implications for countries’ growth agendas. The aim of this paper is to look into the
connection between students’ religious beliefs and their proclivity for cheating on exams. In
addition, this paper looked into cheating methods, motives for cheating, and the connection

10
between peer cheating perception and examination cheating propensity among Ghanaian
students. (Christopher Mensah, Edem M. Azila-Gbettor, 2018)
Theoretical Framework

To have a guide towards explaining the academic dishonesty of every student in

examination, the researchers used important theories which will also introduce the variables of
the study.

Academic dishonesty, also known as academic fraud, refers to any kind of cheating that
happens in connection with a structured academic exercise. It will include. Plagiarism is
described as the adoption or duplication of another person's thoughts, sentences, or comments
without proper attribution.

The first theory we chose is the theory of rational choice to understand why certain
students behave dishonestly in academia. Later in this segment, the reason for our choice is
indicated. Several studies have shown that rational choices are an effective basis for
understanding university students' academic dishonesty (e.g., Sattler et al., 2013; Simkin &
McLeod, 2009; Tibbetts & Myers, 1999). These studies hypothesize, based on the suppositions
of rational choice, that scholarly dishonesty is not arbitrary or unintended but rather premeditated
and determined (Simkin & McLeod, 2009; Tibbetts & Myers, 1999). Student students who are
"subjectively" engaged in misleading academic activities weigh official and informal
punishments, academically deceptive identification and advantages. When the relative
advantages of a deceptive university procedure outweigh their expenses, the students are
involved (ceteris paribus) (Sattler et al., 2013).

We chose rational choice theory as a framework because we found that many of them
were practicing dishonestly academically simply because they would gain a "profit" from such
activities, based on our experience in working closely with some students, while the certainty
that sanctions were detected and serious was relatively low.

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 The second theory is the Planned Behavior Theory, which holds that cheating occurs as a
result of both the opportunity and the intention to cheat (Ajzen, 1969). As a result, efforts to
prevent cheating must address both situational and behavioral factors. Instructors who reduce
cheating opportunities by being more vigilant during exams may only create frustrated cheaters
who will still cheat at the next available opportunity. Proponents of planned behavior theory
would concentrate their efforts on both prevention and education about the importance of
academic integrity. Both sides of the planned behavior theory are supported by research on the
correlates of cheating. In the opportunity side, empty seats between students and multiple forms
of the same test during exams have a medium and small negative effect on cheating. Allowing
students to sit in the back of the room and allowing them to sit next to their friends, on the other
hand, have a small and medium positive effect on cheating, respectively. On the intention side,
the perception of a moral obligation to avoid cheating has a moderately negative impact
(Whitley, 1998).

●Ask the respondents ●Gather the data ●Spread awareness

about our study’s to students
objectives.
●Analyze the data

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 Chapter III
RESEARCH METHODS AND SOURCES OF DATA

This chapter presents the research methods, design, instrument and other sources of data
used by the researchers to identify the cheating behavior of an individual.

Research Design

The design that the research used was the phenomenology design. This design describes
as more qualitative in nature and requires interview as a data collection method. In a qualitative
interview, the researcher usually develops a guide in advance that they can refer during the
interview or memorize the interview takes place. The researcher aims to know the perspective of
grade 9 students in terms of cheating behavior in Tarlac Agricultural University- Laboratory
School.

Locale of the Study

The study will be conducted in Tarlac Agricultural University. The researchers

gathered respondents from the Grade 9 students in Tarlac Agricultural University-Laboratory,
and the respondents will be interviewed to their liking if they are comfortable or if they have free
time. The respondents will be interviewed via chat and Google Meet. The study will be
conducted in the second semester of the academic year 2020-2021.

Unit of Analysis

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 In this study, the unit of analysis are the students in Grade 9 from Tarlac Agricultural
University. In other words, the unit of analysis is individual. The respondents the researcher’s
going to choose should have experience cheating academically, either light cheating or extreme
cheating. Each respondent will be interviewed via google meet/video chat, or talking to them via
messenger.

Respondents and Sampling Procedures

The respondents of the study will be chosen from TAU Junior High School Grade 9
students. The respondents will be selected through simple random sampling, where each student
has an equal chance of being selected as a respondent.

As the study will pursue an interview type of survey, the researchers will schedule an
online interview via google meet. A total of six (6) respondents will be interviewed by the
researchers. The interview will be recorded to see the emotion of the respondents while
answering the questionnaire. Their answers will be transcribed word for word.

Data Gathering Instrument

The researchers of this study were strongly determined to search in a lot richer detail to
the respondents about academic dishonesty. This study used a semi-structured interview, which
allows the researcher to express the interview questions in the format that they prefer, as opposed
to a structured interview.

Data Gathering Procedure

To collect data about the academic dishonesty of an individual, the researchers

administered a semi-structured interview to six (6) grade 9 students of Tarlac Agricultural
University. The semi-structured interview asked participants their predominant view towards
Academic Dishonesty, their perceived experiences, and the implications of academic dishonesty.

14
Analysis of Data

The data were gathered by interviewing our respondents one-by-one. The researchers
are to use the Thematic Analysis as their way to analyze the data gathered in this study. The
researchers decided to use the method that is Thematic Analysis so that the researchers can
further understand the respondent’s way of thinking or behavior when it comes to cheating
academically. And by doing this, we can see the patterns, and similarities between different data.
Thus, we gather the data, and the researchers are going to compile data that has similarities to
each other.

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 CHAPTER IV

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

This chapter contains all of the data acquired by the researchers, which greatly aided the
study's main aims and specific scope of problems.

Data Presentation

The following information was gathered with the use of an interview guide that was
anchored to the statement of the problem that this research was supposed to solve. The following
describes the interview's setup, settings, the researcher's expectations for the interview, and the
data acquired in each of the six (6) interviews.

Questions:

1. What are your views about cheating

R#1: First of all syempre yung pagchecheat is a bad thing, but hindi natin maiiwasan yun
syempre lalo ngayon yung way ng pagcclass natin is flexible learning. Mas nahihirapan tayo sa
mga bagay-bagay at yun nga, nasa online platform tayo mas napapadalas yung pagchecheat
talaga.

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⸢ First of all of course cheating is a bad thing, but we can’t avoid it of course since our way of
learning is through flexible learning. We’re going through difficulties on some thing and we’re
on online platform cheating is now frequent. ⸥

R#2: Para sakin po is cheating po is bad at d ko po siya sinusuport, para sakin d dapat po sya
ginagawa normally.

⸢For me, cheating is bad and I don’t support it, I think it shouldn’t be done normally. ⸥

R#3: Cheating po is para po saakin is pandaraya po sa exam na pag di mo na talaga kaya

parang napapangunahan ka na ng tukso. Parang no choice ka na, gusto mo nalang mag cheat
kesa bumagsak parang ganun po. Para saain isa po siyang masamang hobby, kung nagiging
hobby man po siya masama po siyang kaugalian.

⸢Cheating for me is cheating in the exam when you really don't, so you seem to be led by
temptation. You seem to have no choice, you just want to cheat instead of falling like that. For
him, he is a bad hobby, if he becomes a hobby, he has bad habits. ⸥

R#4: Para saakin po cheating po is yung parang po sa exam po, yung parang di mo po alam
yung sagot kaya titingin ka sa katabi mo ganun po.

⸢ For me, cheating is like taking the exam, like you don't know the answer, so you'll look at the
person next to you like that. ⸥

R#5: Yung pag kahit alam mo nang mali ginagawa parin.

⸢ Even if you know something is wrong, you are still doing it. ⸥

R#6: Pangongopya po sa klase or sa exam, quiz, or assignment po.

17
⸢ Copying in classes or in exam, quiz, or assignment. ⸥

2. Are there any instances where you have seen someone cheat?

R#1: Opo! Syempre. Since ano isa na rin ako sa mga nagchecheat. Yung parang hindi naman
yung totally na parang talagang lahat-lahat chinicheat-I mean parang mga simpleng tanong
lang, syempre nahihirapan din naman po tayo. Pero meron po meron po.
⸢ Yes! Of course. Since I’m one of those who cheats. Like—It's not totally that I cheat all of them
—I mean only the simple questions, of course we’re going through difficulties as well. But yeah,
there are. ⸥

R#2: Yes po, sa mga classmates po ganon, pag umaalis ang teacher pag exam po ay parang
may pinapasa-pasa po silang mga papel po na nacrumple po tas pagpapasa pasahan po nila sa
classroom.

⸢ Yes, from my classmates, if the teacher leaves while in an exam, it’s like they pass some paper
that is crumpled then they pass it around the classroom. ⸥

R#3: Meron po kuya,.meron na po akong nakita pero hindi ko lang po maalala kung saan. Yung
pong parang naecounter po akong may nag cheat may nagsabi saakin na si ganyan si ganito
nag cheat, si ganyan nangopya nandaya may ganon po akong naecounter na.

⸢ Yes, I’ve seen one, I’ve seen one but I can’t remember where I saw it. It’s like when I
encountered someone cheated, and somebody told me he/she cheated, he/she copied somebody,
I’ve encountered something like this ⸥

R#4: Yes po.

⸢ Yes. ⸥

18
R#5: Marami po

⸢ There are many. ⸥

R#6: Opo. ‘pag minsan kami din po. Saakin po sila nangongopya

⸢ Yeah, we also cheat in some cases. They copy me. ⸥

3. When was the first time you engaged in this act? (Cheating)

R#1: Ngayon lang online platform or meron din noon pero bilang lang po talaga.

⸢ It started this online platform, there are instances before but it’s not that frequent ⸥

R#2: First time ko po magcheat ay nung mid grade 7 po ganon.

⸢ The first time I cheated was during the middle of grade 7. ⸥

R#3: kwan po naman kasi, yung pang chicheat ko pong ginawa hindi po ako yung nangopya ako
po yung kwan noon syempre po kahit naman po ikaw yung nagpakopya considered parin naman
po as cheating diba? Grade 2 po ako nung nagpakopya ako.

⸢ It’s hard to explain, the way of cheating I’m doing, I’m not the one cheating. Of course, when
you are the one who let them copy, it is still considered as cheating right? I’m grade 2 when I let
the copied me ⸥

R#4: Noong elementary po.

⸢ In elementary school. ⸥

19
R#5: Grade 7
⸢ Grade 7. ⸥

R#6: Di naman po ako nag-ano noong elem, baka po elem. Pero hindi ko lang po matandaan.
⸢ I’m not sure if I did it on elementary, maybe I did it on elem. But I have no clear memories of
it.⸥

4. What did you feel when you did it for the first time?

R#1: Parang may halong ano, pagsisisi at the same time eh accomplishment kasi parang
nagawa mong mag-cheat. Pero ano feeling mo hindi ka kumportable.

⸢ It’s like there’s a mix of what, regret but at the same time it is an accomplishment because you
tried to cheat. But you’re feeling uncomfortable. ⸥

R#2: Parang d po siya tama at nakakakonsensya po ganon.

⸢It’s like it isn’t right and I feel conscious of guilt. ⸥

R#3: Medyo kabado po kasi pag nahuli syempre pag nahuli po patay tayo. (Inaudible)

⸢ Quite nervous because if you got caught of course if you got caught we’re screwed (inaudible)⸥

R#4: Nung una, kinabahan po na parang naguguilty po tapos yun po ganun po medyo
naguguilty.

⸢ At first, I was nervous like I was guilty, then I was a bit guilty.⸥

R#5: Kabado po

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⸢ Nervous. ⸥

R#6: Kabado po

⸢ Nervous. ⸥

5. What may be the possible factors or influences that made you do it?

R#1: One of the main reasons is hindi nakapag review since may ibang topics na hirap talaga,
tapos konti lang yung time ang daming subjects na kasabay kaya iyon.

⸢ One of the main reasons is that I didn’t review since there are topics that it’s so hard, then
there’s only little time, then there are too many subjects at the same time, so there’s that. ⸥

R#2: Kasi na sobrang di ko po gets yung parang lesson po ganon sa exam po hindi ko po alam
kung anong ilalagay po dun sa answer sheet kaya tinry ko po magcheat.

⸢ Because I didn’t really get the lesson for the exam, I didn’t really know what to put in the
answer sheet so I tried to cheat. ⸥

R#3: Kasi po, no choice na. Wala naman pong nagsabi sakin pero dahil nga po sa no choice
na, kesa bumagsak.

⸢ Because, I had no choice. Nobody told me to cheat but of course, I chose ‘no choice’, rather
than failing. ⸥

R#4: Minsan po di po alam sagot or di po nagreview

⸢ Sometimes I don't know the answer or I don't review. ⸥

21
R#5: Fear of failure po

⸢ Fear of failure. ⸥

R#6: Kulang po sa time, like super rush po. Kasi po minsan po di ko alam na deadline na po.

⸢ Lack of time, like super rush. Because sometimes I didn’t know that its deadline is on that
day. ⸥

6. In what ways did you cheat when the medium of learning was face to face?

R#1: Nagtatanong po sa kaklase ko suring quizzes or exams. Kinalabit-kalabitan parang ganon

po. Ay meron pa pala kuya, yung ano parang pag-swap ng paper. Pero ano isang beses lang
yun.

⸢ I’m asking my classmates during quizzes or exams. I also poke my classmates, something like
that. And one more thing, the thing where we swap papers but I only did it once. ⸥

R#2: Parang nakikopya lang po sa iba, yung tinginan po ng test papers po nung iba.

⸢ It’s like I copied from others, when we just viewed each other’s test papers.⸥

R#3: Wala na po ako masyado maalala kasi nitong high school po. Iniiwasan ko na po talaga.
Pero meron po mga activities na iniiwan ng teachers nag kokopyahan po kami ng mga tropa ko.
Kumpulan po sa isang sulok.

⸢ I have no memories of me cheating this high school. I avoided cheating. But there are
activities that our teacher left for us, me and my friends are copying one another. We flocked
together at the corner of the room. ⸥

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R#4: Mag tatanong po sa katabi

⸢ Asking my seatmate. ⸥

R#5: Pag kunwari po nakalimutan pong may assignment hihingi po ng sagot sa katabi or sa
barkada

⸢ For example, if you have forgotten an assignment, you will ask the person next to you or the
group for an answer. ⸥

R#6: Sa assignment lang naman po. Assignment lang po minsan. Parang nagtatanong-tanong
po kapag hindi ko alam po yung sagot, lalo po sa Math.

⸢ Only assignments. Sometimes assignment only. Like we are asking each other questions when I
don’t know the answer especially in Math. ⸥

7. How do you cheat on online classes?

R#1: Nag-aask ako sa mga kaklase ko minsan kung ano yung sagot dito yung sagot dyan
ganon. Pero yung pagsesearch or pagtitingin sa mismong module or dun sa mismong file hindi
ko pa po nagawa yun.

⸢ I ask my classmates on what’s the answer to this and that. But researching or looking at your
module or the file is the one I’ve never done before. ⸥

R#2: Ganun din po pero hindi naman po siya parang cheating, nageexchange lang po kami ng
answers, tapos nagsesearch po sa google po pag di na talaga po alam.

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⸢ Just like the same but not really like cheating, we just exchange answers, and search google if
we don’t really know. ⸥

R#3: Tanong tanungan po sa tropa ganun, nagawa mo na yung ganito? nagawa mo na yung
ganyan? May sagot ka na ba sa ganyan pwedeng pakita pakopya parang ganun po. Tapos sa
exam pag sobrang hirap po ng tanong, syempre po hindi naman po lahat ng teachers nagtuturo
di naman po naman namin alam kung saan po kukunin yung mga sagot, syempre po di po talaga
maiwasan yung sisilip po sa module na sinend or titingin sa google or sa brainly po ganun.

⸢ My friends and I are asking each other, “have you done this?”, “have you done that?”, “Do
you have any answer to this? Can I copy?” something like that. And when it’s time for exams,
when the questions are super hard, of course not all teachers are teaching, we don’t know where
to get the answers, of course it’s inevitable that we peek at the module they sent, or we look-up
the answer in Google or Brainly. ⸥

R#4: Through google po

⸢Through Google. ⸥

R#5: Nanghihingi din po ng sagot

⸢I'm asking for an answer. ⸥

R#6: Puro assignment po lagi. Iyon din po, mga tanong-tanungan po kami ganon.

⸢ It’s only from assignment. It’s always assignment. Just like I said, we ask each other. ⸥

8. Are there any similarities of how you cheat before and during online classes?

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R#1: Yun syempre ano nagtatanong din ako sa mga kaklase ko kapag face-to-face classes and
same thing sa online classes.

⸢ Of course sometimes I will ask my classmates when it was face-to-face and same thing to
online classes. ⸥

R#2: Wala pa po sa ngayon kasi dati po pag nagchecheat lang po, parang nagtitinginan po pero
yung pero yung cheating po this online class is nagsesearch po ganon.

⸢Not really as of now because before, if we cheat, it’s like we just view each other’s work, and
during this online class, we do search. ⸥

R#3: Meron po kasi syempre po pareho naman pong cheating, pareho naman pong
pangongopya or pandurugas yung ginagawa pero yun pong similarities po talaga parang wala
po masyado kasi po dito po sa online class mas madali po kasi po mas iwas yung, mas less yung
porsyente na mabubuko ka kesa sa face to face po e.

⸢ There are similarities because both are cheating. They are both copying others or being
deceitful, but on the other note, there are no really similarities, because here in online class it’s
easier, because you can avoid… there are less percentage of you getting caught compared to
face. ⸥

R#4: Yes po kasi po dati po nung face to face palang po nagtataning po ako tapos ngayong
online po nagtatanong rin po ako.

⸢ Yes, because I used to ask face to face questions and now I'm also asking questions online. ⸥

R#5: Yes po

⸢Yes. ⸥

25
R#6: Opo, puro assignment lang naman po kasi ako nag-aano.

⸢Yes, when I cheat it’s always about assignment. ⸥

9. How do you feel when you cheat now compared to when you did it for the first time?

R#1: Ngayon parang ano ganon parin yung feeling, parang may maliit parin na percentage na
ganon parin yung nararamdaman ko kasi medyo hindi pa rin po ako sanay sa pagchecheat. Mas
gusto ko pa rin yung may natututunan ka sa isang subject tapos wala kang ginagawang
pagchecheat ganon.
⸢ It’s like the feeling is the same as before there’s little percentage of that feeling because I’m
not that accustomed to cheating. I’d rather learn something in a subject rather than cheat. ⸥

R#2: Parang normal nalang po pero may nafefeel naman po akong guilt

⸢ It’s just like normal but I feel a bit of guilt. ⸥

R#3: Wala naman po syempre po lalo ngayon online class. Pero dati po dun po sa mga…
Kunwari po face to face syempre kabado parin, kasi pag nahuli rekta sa office or kung
masuwerte ka man pinagalitan ka lang ng teacher pero pag kwan naman po kagaya nitong
online class parang may nandun parin po yung ano yung takot atsaka yung kaba kasi nga pag
nahuli ganun parin maaring may penalty parin pero parang medyo mas kalmado po ngayon kasi
di po talaga maiiwasan e ang hihirap po talaga ng ganitong sitwasyon. Kumbaga sa panahon po
na ngayon e parang pag nag chicheat ka sa ngayon sa online class ngayon parang medyo mas
kalmado nalang po kesa sa face to face.

⸢ I’m not feeling anything, of course, especially this online class. But before…for example it’s
face to face, of course you’re nervous because if you got caught you’re going straight to the

26
office, or if you’re lucky you’re just going to get a scold from your teacher. But when it comes to
online class, there’s also that fear and nervousness, because when you got caught, it’s the same,
maybe there are penalty but I’m calmer compared to before because it is inevitable since this
situation is hard (referring to online class). In other words, in this age when you cheat in online
class, you’re calmer compared to face to face. ⸥

R#4: Medyo uncomfortable po pero slight lang tapos medyo slight na guilty lang din po.

⸢ It's a bit uncomfortable but it's just a little bit and then it's also a little bit guilty. ⸥

R#5: Wala naman po, parang sanay na po kasi

⸢ Nothing, it looks like I'm used to it. ⸥

R#6: Medyo chill-chill nalang po, pero kapag strict po yung teacher kinakabahan din po

⸢ Quite chill, but if the teacher is strict, I get nervous. ⸥

10. What are the benefits that you acquired from cheating?

R#1: Siguro yung ano yung hindi mo talaga nasugatan na mga questions tas nag tanong ka or
nagcheat ka, yun lang yung benefits mo, yun lang yung benefit na makukuha mo sa pagchecheat.

⸢ Maybe the questions that you didn’t answer and you asked someone or cheated, that’s your
only benefit, that’s your only benefit through cheating. ⸥

R#2: Parang high scores po sa exams at quizzes po

⸢ Something like High scores in exams and cheating. ⸥

27
R#3: Sa tingin ko po yung benefits na nakukuha syempre makukuha mo yung sagot talagang
chamba mo kung makukuha mo yung tamang sagot talaga.

⸢ I think the benefits that you got are of course the questions you got, you’re really lucky if you
got the real answer. t ⸥

R#4:Dagdag score po

⸢Extra score. ⸥

R#5: I dont get to pass my assignments late

R#6: Kung rush po kasi, parang maipapasa mo on time, parang ganon po. Lalo po kapag
matalino nag-hingian, parang sure na tama yung sagot.

⸢ When it’s rush, it’s like you can can pass it on time. Especially if the person where you got the
answers from is smart, it’s sure that you got the answer correctly. ⸥

11. Have you ever been caught and punished before from cheating?

R#1: Nacaught, pero hindi ko sure kung binawasan yung grade ko or something. Hindi ko sure
kung ako yung pero iaapeal kong isa ako sa mga yon. Ngayon lang rin online class yon, pero
noong face-to-face wala.

⸢ I’ve caught, but I'm not sure if my grade was reduced or something. I'm not sure if it's me but
I'll complain I'm one of them. It's only now that it's an online class, but then face-to-face there
wasn't. ⸥

R#2: Hindi pa naman po

28
⸢Not yet really. ⸥

R#3: Hindi pa po, hindi pa naman po. Kasi bihira ko naman pong gawin.

⸢No, I have not. Because I rarely do it. ⸥

R#4: No po.

⸢No ⸥

R#5: Hindi po
⸢ No ⸥

R#6: Hindi po

⸢No. ⸥

11.1 Are there any changes you decided to do after this experience?

R#1: arang sinabi ko sa sarili ko na instead of cheating why be a better person? or mas mag-
aral ng mabuti kesa sa pagchecheat.

⸢ I said to myself that instead of cheating, why be a better person? Or just study hard instead of
cheating. ⸥

12. What is your realization base from your experience in cheating?

R#1: Yun nga na mas bad mag cheat na parang masamang mag cheat talaga.Pero masasabi
nga nila cheating is not a individual work? Oo yon parang yung cheating is ginagawa mong as

29
a group or teamwork para makapasa kayong lahat pero medyo hindi ako aprubado don.
Talagang masamang magcheat, kasi madaming consequences na mababalik sayo ng
pagchecheat.

⸢ Like I said that cheating is bad. But like everyone said, cheating is not an individual work? ,
like you do cheat as a group or teamwork to make sure you all pass, but I did not fall to that
because cheating is really bad, because there are many consequences that will come back to you
by cheating. ⸥

R#2: Hindi po talaga po tama kasi parang yung pinagchecheatan ko po is naghihirap po siya sa
sagot tas ako ay nangongopya lang po ganon tas nagsesearch-search lang po

⸢ It’s not really right because like, who I’m cheating with is actually working hard for the
answer and I just copy and search like that. ⸥

R#3: Narealize na mali po yung ginagawa natin na hindi tama ginagawa natin. Narerealize po
natin yun na nandadaya talaga tayo pero marerealize mo rin na paminsan minsan di mo talaga
kayang iwasan lalo na po sa mga sitwasyon na wala ka ng magagawa pero narerealize ko
naman po na yung cheating is pwede naman po nating iwasan kung talagang mag aaral po tayo
ng mabuti e syempre po maiiwasan po natin yung ganung bagay

⸢ I realized that what we’re doing is wrong. We realized that we’re acting unfairly, but we’re
also going to realize that from time to time we can’t avoid it especially in situations where you
have no choice, but I also realized that we can avoid cheating if we’re really going to study
hard, of course you can avoid that sort of thing. ⸥

R#4: Oarang may advantage at disadvantage po pero alam ko pong mali po yung cheating.

⸢ There seems to be advantages and disadvantages but I know cheating is wrong. ⸥

30
R#5: Hindi naman siya mali, kasi para saakin normal na yun kuya di na yun maalis sa isa tao
na mag cheat.

⸢ It's not wrong, because for me that's normal 'kuya'. That can't be removed from someone
cheating. ⸥

R#6: Minsan po nakokonsensya po. Opo, syempre ayaw na po.

⸢ Sometimes I feel guilty. Yes, of course I don’t want to do it again. ⸥

Discussion

A. Perceptions About Cheating

In analyzing the interview data, one (1) theme emerged, which will be discussed in this
section. The theme is the following:

Cheating is Bad but Inevitable

According to the gathered data from the respondents, they all know that cheating is a bad
thing, but we can’t avoid it.

According to the Situational Ethics Theory, students cheat in response to extraordinary

circumstances where breaking the rules is possibly justified. We can connect this theory to what
R1 said, “since our way of learning is through flexible learning…uhm we’re going through
difficulties on some things… and yeah, we’re on online platform… cheating is now frequent.”

And according to Rational Choice Theory, the rational choice theory treats dishonest
actions as the result of decisions that rational agents make (Cornish & Clarke, 1986). The

31
eventual course of action is chosen after weighing the advantages and disadvantages of all
possible alternatives. Therefore, deciding to cheat results from a cost-benefit analysis. We can
connect this theory to what R4 said, “It’s like you have no choice, you would rather cheat than
fail in exam, something like that”.

B. Perceived Cheating Behaviors of Students

In analyzing the interview data, five (5) themes emerged. These themes will be discussed
in this section. The themes are:

The Beginning of Cheating Behaviour

According to some students, they started cheating as early as Elementary. This means
that they started cheating when they were kids. According to (Daviq Chairilsyah, 2020), cheating
on elementary school students has been going on for a long time, but teachers and schools are
still struggling to deal with it. Cheating can lead to children being dishonest in their pursuit of a
high score. Furthermore, cheating would have an effect on students before they reach adulthood.
This proves that cheating can start at an early time. This also means that it can affect the students
when they reached high school.

According to some students, they started at high school. They may have started cheating
at high school, since the massive leap of difficulty of all subjects in high school can be proven
hard to other students. This can explain by the theory of rational choice, where students can
justify their actions because of an extreme circumstance. Cheating occurs in pharmacy schools
and is motivated by fear of failure, procrastination, and stress (Eric Ip, Kathy Nguyen, Bijal
Shah, Shadi Doroudgar, Monica Bidwal, 2016).

The Bad side of Cheating

32
 We chose the theme “The Bad Side of Cheating' because it corresponded to our
respondents' responses; cheating can also be considered bad based on how or what the
respondents' negative experiences made them feel.” Cheating's negative consequences can be
traced back to social learning theory, which holds that human behavior is learned as individuals
interact with their surroundings. To maintain problem behavior, either positive or negative
reinforcement is used. This theory is related to the negative emotional effect of cheating we can
connect this theory to what R1 said, "At first, I was nervous like I was guilty, then I was a bit
guilty".

The Good side of Cheating

According to some students, cheating to them are normal, inevitable, and an

accomplishment. This can be supported by the theory of neutralization. Neutralization theory
(Sykes & Matza, 1957), on the other hand, hypothesizes that students are able to engage in
morally wrong acts without damage to their self-concept if they can rationalize those acts and
think of them as morally neutral rather than wrong. Research on the correlates of cheating has
found that neutralization techniques have a medium to large positive effect on cheating, thus
lending support to this theory (Whitley, 1998). R6 said, “Nothing, it looks like I'm used to it”.
This statement further supports the Theory of Neutralization.

On the other hand, some students think that cheating is a good thing, but they also have
negative emotions lingering. This can further explain by Consequentialism. Consequentialism is
an ethical theory that judges whether or not something is right by what its consequences are. For
instance, most people would agree that lying is wrong. But if telling a lie would help save a
person's life, consequentialism says it's the right thing to do. According to R1, “Regret but at the
same time it is an accomplishment because…because you tried to cheat but…but you’re feeling
uncomfortable”. R3 also said, “It’s just like normal but I feel a bit of guilt”.

33
Factors of Cheating

According to students they happen to cheat because of different factors such as difficult
topic, didn't review, difficulty to understand the lesson and many more. An extension of SCT,
relative deprivation theory, proposes that the relationship between peer cheating behavior and
observers' cheating behavior is a function of feelings of relative deprivation. Unfavorable
comparisons, such as when observers believe that their peers have received desired benefits (e.g.,
higher grades) or opportunities as a result of cheating, can elicit negative emotions such as rage,
envy, discontent, dissatisfaction, and perceived injustice (Shaver, 1987; Stack, 1984). In that case
we can connect the relative deprivation theory to the factors why some of students cheat, we can
proved it's connection to what R2 said, “Because I didn’t really get the lesson for the exam, I
didn’t really know what to put in the answer sheet so I tried to cheat.”

Ways of Cheating

According to our respondents, there are a variety of ways to engage in this type of
activity, including asking classmates, exchanging papers, and searching online. The rational
choice theory considers dishonesty to be the result of rational agents' decisions (Cornish &
Clarke, 1986). After weighing the benefits and drawbacks of all possible options, the final course
of action is chosen. As a result, the decision to cheat is based on a cost-benefit analysis. The
effort involved in cheating rather than studying the material, the expected improvement in grade
due to cheating, the stakes involved in the assignment, and so on may all play a role in the
decision. In this case we could connect this theory to what R4 said, "I have no memories of me
cheating this high school. I avoided cheating. But there are activities that our teacher left for us,
me and my friends are copying one another. We flocked together at the corner of the room", This
statement demonstrates R4's rational decision

C. Experience in Cheating

34
 In analyzing the data, 2 themes emerged. These themes will be discussed in this section.
The themes are:

Advantage

We selected advantage as the theme because it is the word that best fits and is associated
with it. Advantage because, based on our respondents' responses, they gain different benefits
from cheating. The 'Advantage' is linked to the rational choice theory because the rational choice
theory treats dishonest actions as the result of rational agents' decisions. A cost-benefit analysis
is used to determine whether or not to cheat. The risk of being caught has a moderately negative
impact on cheating. The fear of punishment has a minor negative impact. We can connect this
theory to what R1 said, “The benefits that you got are of course the questions you got, you’re
really lucky if you got the real answer that was programmed”.

Consequences of Cheating

We chose the theme ‘Consequences of Cheating’ because it is related to what our

respondent said. We chose this because one of our respondents was on the verge of experiencing
the consequences. The deterrence theory says that cheating depends on the level of severity of
the effects 'Cheating consequences' can be related with the deterrence theory (Zimring &
Hawkins, 1973). It also says that if a certain conduct is to be curtailed, we should punish it with
consequences which are sufficiently severe to discourage students, including failure to work,
failure to attend school or even expulsions. We can connect this theory to what R1 said, “What
do you call this? I’ve been caught, but I'm not sure if my grade was reduced or something. I'm
not sure if it's me but I'll complain I'm one of them. It's only now that it's an online class, but
then there was no face-to-face”.

35