The article linked below describes the results of a major study recently completed regarding lying and cheating by U.S. high school students. Almost 30,000 students from 100 high schools around the country participated in the study by completing surveys. Among other results, the researchers found that 30% of high school students have stolen from a store in the past year, and 64% have cheated on a test.
First, read the article:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081130/ap_on_re_us/students_dishonesty
Then, respond to one or more of the following questions:
Do you agree or disagree with the explanations provided for why some high school students cheat and/or steal? Explain your position.
Do you think these levels of dishonesty are cause for alarm in our society? Why or why not?
Do you think these levels of dishonesty are higher, lower, or about the same as at other times in our history? Explain your answer.
5 comments:
Coming from my personal experiences, I agree with Peter Anderson, principal of Andover High School in Andover, Mass. There isn't as much cheating on test or internet plagiarizing but, more so on homework. However cheating on homework can lead to cheating on tests . . . for the simple reason that the student didn't study or do his/her homework, they cheated. Not doing your homework can really hurt you in the long run. If you don't do your homework how are you supposed to know the information on the test???
There are many reasons why some school's "cheating" rate is higher than others. In one school there might be a whole lot more influences, than in another. There are many different factors and variables.
The reasons for a high "cheating" percent could be due to . . . teachers! Yes, I said teachers. A teacher from the 5th grade may let you get away with cheating, so therefore you are more likely to do it again in a higher grade.
Andrew
From what I see at school, I agree with Andrew; most of the cheating that occurs is on homework. I feel that this is mostly due to laziness and a general lack of motivation. Kids don't want to do homework because they don't realize the purpose it serves. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that most kids have lost sight of what school is about. They forget that they are in school to learn. School is seen as just some tortuous institution you have to go to. Before anything gets better, kids must realize that, by cheating, they are only hurting themselves. If they do realize this and continue to cheat, I say let them do it... it will catch up to them eventually.
I think that some of the reasons this article gives about why kids "cut corners" sometimes make sense. However, we should take responsibility for our actions so all the blame cannot be shifted to teachers, our busy schedules, and the search for a college. The copying of homework assignments for example is one that blame could be shared. Some students procrastinate or let their laziness win over and do not complete assignments that could be completed. But sometimes it seems like if teachers were more in cahoots with one another they would not assign so much at one time. Sometimes there aren't any major assignments one week, but the next week it feels like there is one for every major class.
Searching for colleges and applying for scholarships does take a great deal of time. But time is something that must be managed wisely during a student's senior year. Learning time management in a busy schedule is a good skill for students destined for college, because I am sure it will get no easier when that time comes.
I don't think kids are getting worse as time goes on. There are just different temptations out there now days. I don't like to think of the human race as going downhill. There are still good kids out there, just like there are still good people out there. Everyone deserves a chance; some people just make bad choices.
I agree 99.9% with Mark on this one. That .01% of disagreement, though, comes from the idea of continuing letting the kids cut corners. I suppose that's what has been done in the past, and I think that is something that should be changed. (I guess that's something you guys could have expected out of me, since I've, in some ways, become an advocate for change.) I think that if someone is ignorant of what will help them, they should not be penalized for, what could be, a lifetime. Students should be held accountible for their success, but at the same time teachers should be held accountible for enabling students to learn for themselves and enforcing "no cheating" rules.
I agree with this article. I think everyone has cheated at least once in their life. It's practically human nature! Unfotunatly, it's not a good trait to posses,especially in high schol. Cheating on a piece of homework can lead to cheating on the final examin some cases. I think that the rate of cheating is so high because of the pressure some teens have to endure during high school. To some it's just easierto cheat. The blame could also be put on the school and/or falculty as well. The amount of homework given has risen exponentially n the past couple of years! So mabey instead of trying to fix the problem; people should start to look at the factors that may contribute to the problem
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