IMPACT OF ACADEMIC DISHONESTY ON QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN GOVERNMENT SECONDARY SCHOOLS OF EAST SHAO ZONE, OROMIA REGIONAL STATE

Abstract

xii Impact of Academic Dishonesty on Quality of Education in Government Secondary Schools of East Shao Zone, Oromia Regional State ABSTRACT The purpose of the study was to identify the impact of academic dishonesty on quality of education in government secondary schools of East Shao Zone, Oromia Regional State. To accomplish purpose, the study employed descriptive survey research design. The study was conducted in four secondary schools of the Zone. The respondents were four principals, four supervisors, 20 department heads and 80 students’ council representatives were selected by available sampling. Questionnaire and interview were used to collect data for the study. The questionnaire was developed and distributed to 20 teachers and 80 students. Interview was conducted with four school principals and four cluster supervisors in four sample secondary schools. Frequency, percentage and mean value were employed by using SPSS version 20 to analyse the quantitative data. The qualitative data obtained through interview were narrated in words. The quantitative data showed that there was lack of awareness among the school leaders to orienting the impact of academic cheating for school-community and parents successfully. Besides school leaders do not contribute as per their responsibilities. There was also lack of collaboration and constructive feedbacks that improve students’ performance in teaching and learning process. On other hand there was lack workshops, seminars and trainings of teachers to improve academic dishonesty and update them on current issues. There were factors that inhabited the performance of leaders; these were lack of training, immediate turnover of trained leaders from school to other sectors. These difficulties played negative impact on designing and applying the rule and regulation of academic cheating. So the researcher recommended that, the Zone, Woredas’ education office and school leaders should give short term training and supportive supervision to reduce academic cheating. In addition, the government was recommended to allocate and facilitate resources, and the school leaders should give due attention and working collaboratively with all school- community to successes students’ academic achievement