THE PREVALENCE OF ACADEMIC DISHONESTY IN SOME SELECTED SECONDARY SCHOOLS OF EAST SHOA ZONE, OROMIA NATIONAL REGIONAL STATE

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