According to Prof. Onimisi Abdullah of the Department of Social Science Education at the University of Ilorin in Kwara State, male students are more likely to cheat in exams than females.
Mr. Abdullah made the submission in Ilorin during the university’s 266th lecture.
The paper’s title is “A psychological perspective on systemic inconsistencies in the Nigerian educational system.”
The don indicated that the study was an attempt to better understand students’ psychology and development.
“It is also to determine the relationship between background variables and cheating tendencies among students of Federal Universities in Nigeria,” he said.
According to him, a 50-item multiple-choice developmental psychology test was given to 268 final-year students from all disciplines.
He added that the researchers administered the test to the sample students and graded and recorded a photocopy of each script.
Mr Abdullah went on to explain that unmarked original response scripts were returned to the students, and each was asked to mark his or her own scripts.
He said, “Since the original test was answered in pencil, the students had ample opportunity to alter earlier choices, if they wished, as their lecturers dictated correct answers to them. The study found that the majority of students (70.5 percent), manifested cheating behaviour, and more male students had higher tendencies to involve in all forms of cheating than female students.’’
According to an education specialist, cheating has been linked directly to kids’ academic ability. He went on to say that low-achieving students were more likely to cheat.
Mr Abdullah pointed out that the pupils’ high rate of cheating was inconsistent with their professed unfavourable attitude towards cheating, resulting in a form of paradox.
Similarly, Mr Abdullah suggested the development of a more objective method of assessing learning outcomes, rather than written examinations.
He also urged the government to develop a more effective educational program based on African personality, moral values, and ethics.