New study: why university students choose to cheat

“It started with our reporting many students and feeling frustrated that it had no effect. We felt that we needed to better understand students and their situation in order to prevent cheating rather than addressing it after the fact,” says Andreas Nilsson, senior lecturer and researcher in business administration at Örebro University.

A sensitive issue to talk about

The study is based on interviews with students at Örebro University who had been found guilty of cheating by the disciplinary board. The researchers contacted 150 students, but only nine took part in the interviews. A total of 138 people chose not to respond, despite reminders.

“It’s a sensitive issue and something most people don’t really want to admit to or talk about with others. Some of those we interviewed said it was the first time they had spoken to anyone else about their cheating. Still, some were grateful for the opportunity to talk about it,” says Anna Kremel, senior lecturer and researcher in business administration at Örebro University.

Different types of pressure

The study identifies three main factors influencing students’ decisions: wellbeing, academic success and tradition. These are linked to both internal and external forms of pressure – from the students themselves, from their studies or from their surroundings.

 

When pressure and demands build up from several directions at once, students may choose to take the easy way out – and cheat.

“We discovered in the study that it’s not only university-related factors that contribute to their decision to cheat, but rather their life as a whole interacting to create a situation that they try to cope with by cheating,” says Andreas Nilsson.

Teachers’ interactions matter

The researchers conclude that higher education institutions need to take into account the demands placed on students and develop teaching strategies to reduce pressure – and thereby the risk of cheating.

Understanding the process behind students’ decisions is an important step. Many students emphasise the importance of their relationship with their teacher.

“As educators, we need to understand that we play an important role in students’ learning. How we interact with them affects them. It’s not always easy to engage with every student, especially when we have large student groups, which is often the case in our business administration courses,” says Anna Kremel.