Abstract:
THE PREVALENCE OF ACADEMIC DISHONESTY IN SOME SELECTED
SECONDARY SCHOOLS OF EAST SHOA ZONE
The main purpose of the study was to investigate the prevalence of academic dishonesty in some
selected secondary schools of East Shoa Zone, Oromia National Regional State. The study, employed
descriptive survey design since it used to describe the current prevalence of academic dishonesty, the
cause of academic dishonesty, the influence of academic dishonesty and the efforts of school leaders to
minimize academic dishonesty. A mixed-methods approach was used in this study, combining both
qualitative and quantitative components. Purposive, available and simple random sampling techniques
were employed to select respondents among the total population of the study. Among these respondent,
teacher informants participated in both open ended and close ended questionnaires while principals
and supervisors participated on interview. Qualitative data were analyzed using frequency distribution,
percentages, rank and true mean and the qualitative data were also analyzed in the form of narration
and then triangulated to supplement the quantitative one. The result of the study indicated that
prevalence and the extent of occurrences of allowing another person to copy from them during an
exam, submitting an assignment that was written by someone else, inventing a family crisis in order to
get an extension on exam, using technology to answer exam questions during exam, copying material
from a published source without giving credit, taking an exam for another person, writing an
assignment for a friend, copying from someone else during a test, using unauthorized material in an
exam, reproducing an exam questions and sharing them with friends were highly prevalent. Thus, it is
recommended that school leaders should Internalize that cheating is socially, morally, religiously and
pedagogically an acceptable behavior and condemn it by hating cheating, exposing those who are
involved in cheating and exhorting their peers
