I chose to just interview some of my friends to see what their opinions were about cheating and how they have approached cheating throughout their schooling career. I feel that these first hand accounts and opinions are quite valuable to what my final topic is on.
Have you ever
cheated?
Mike: Yes
How many times? When
did you do it most? How did you cheat
most often?
Mike: Middle schooled=too scared, raised not to cheat.
High School: Cheating was more prevalent. Mainly cheated off
of other students if he was struggling on a test.
College: Never plagiarized, still cheated off other peoples
tests if he was struggling.
What was your
reasoning as to why you cheated? Did you feel the need to rationalize your
decisions?
Mike: I needed good grades, “If I didn’t know the answer, I’m
going to look somewhere else”
He doesn’t feel the need to rationalize his decision. Is
completely okay with it.
“Everybody cheats, if you don’t cheat you are a liar, and
nobody likes liars”
Have you ever cheated
on online exams or assignments?
Mike: Yes, even if the course said specifically not to use a
textbook or collaborate with anyone, it was too easy not to use my textbook or
ask someone if they knew the answer. It would not have been that easy to cheat
if the assignment or test wasn’t online.
Do you look at
cheating as a hindrance to education, or do you see your classes as just an
obstacle to your end goal?
Mike: tough question… Ideally, I would learn everything that
the course has to offer. After a while though, I just want the class to be
over. Realistically, I’m going to resort to cheating because the workload often
becomes tedious and heavy and it’s just not worth dealing with.
Have you ever
cheated?
Joey: Yes
How many times?
Joey: First time he
cheated in Elementary school. Cheated
the same amount in middle school and High school. Has only cheated on online
tests in college.
What was your
reasoning as to why you cheated? Did you feel the need to rationalize your
decisions?
Joey: I just wanted good grades. I just did it. I never
thought of to even rationalize it. It was never even really a thought. I did it
and never looked back. The only reason I would have felt bad is if I got
caught, because then my parents would make me feel bad about it.
Have you ever cheated
on online exams or assignments?
Yes
Do you look at cheating
as a hindrance to education?
It depends on the extent of the cheating. If you are just
getting a couple questions from someone else then its not really a hindrance.
If you are cheating more than you are not, then it is a hindrance.
Do you see your
classes as just an obstacle to your end goal?
Core requirement classes and classes that are forced upon me
are just looked at as obstacles to an end goal. Classes for my major, or that
are an interest to me I see as a way for me to educate myself on the stuff that
matters.
Chris
Have you ever
cheated?
Yes
How many times?
First time cheated was in early high school. Cheating off
other peoples homework assignments. As I
got lazier, during a test I would just look off others peoples test. Sometimes
I’ll look at someone elses test if I’m struggling during the test, but its much
harder to cheat in college. Im definitely becoming more independent as to
studying and test taking.
What was your
reasoning as to why you cheated? Did you feel the need to rationalize your
decisions?
I just wanted good grades. There was so much emphasis on the
end result and grade rather than actual education. Feels no real need to rationalize the need to
cheat.
Have you ever cheated
on online exams or assignments?
Never had an online test or quiz, but will use internet
sources for assignments
Do you look at cheating
as a hindrance to education?
“Yes the education systems put too much emphasis on the
grades rather than the actual content that you learned”
Do you see your
classes as just an obstacle to your end goal?
No. Ultimately everything that you learn in college will
help you in the future. I try to make a meaning out of classes even if I cant
see one to begin with.
