essay examination malpractice

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Examination Malpractice: Causes, Effects and Possible Ways of Curbing the Menace. A Study of Cross River University of Technology

The moral issues in the society and the quest for certificate in the face of poor academic performance has been identified as some of the major causes of examination malpractices in Nigeria. This paper reviewed the remote causes, the various types and forms of examination malpractice especially at the university level, its effects and possible ways of curbing the menace. The research findings revealed an array of factors responsible for examination malpractice in Nigeria to includes what most respondents called " wrong value system which leads to serious quest for certification instead of knowledge and skills " , Laziness, lack of preparation or inadequate preparation for examination, lack of self confidence, poor school facilities, (Lack of or inadequate examination hall) poor sitting arrangement, socioeconomic factors, political-undertone, privatization and commercialization of education, poor invigilation, weak parental function e.t.c. Attitudinal or value change from certificate acquisition to knowledge acquisition, reduction in student population per invigilator, building of examination halls to accommodate sizeable number of students with wire net windows to forestall free flow of material to and fro the examination halls and a general change in societal value system and attitude in the educational system were advocated and recommended as measures to curve examination malpractice.

Related Papers

Sunday Bright

Open Access Publishing Group

This study is an assessment of the management strategies for curbing examination malpractices in Secondary Schools in Abia State, Nigeria, considering the persistence of examination malpractices in the educational institutions. Three research questions were raised to guide the study. A researcher constructed questionnaire titled, Assessment of Management Strategies for Curbing Examination Malpractices Questionnaire (AMSFCEMQ), was used in the data collection. A total of 560 teachers including principals, selected through proportional stratified sampling responded to the questionnaires administered. The reliability of the instrument was established using Cronbach Alpha Coefficient. The reliability value was 0.67. The results showed that all the five pre-examination malpractice curbing strategies identified were effective, such as, the covering of syllabus by teachers. Six out of seven strategies identified during the examination were effective, such as, having adequate number of invigilators in the hall. The post-examination malpractice curbing strategies found effective were five out of seven, such as examiners ensuring that the total number of answer scripts tallied with the total number of examinees. With the persistence of examination malpractices in Nigeria, despite the application of the identified effective strategies, it was recommended that stiffer penalties be pronounced as deterrent. These include increasing the number of years of de–registration of culprit centers and the finding of political will by government to fully implement Examination Malpractice Act 33 of 1999.

Odunola Kazeem

Science and Education Development Institute (SEDInst)

This paper examined causes and consequences of examination malpractice on the academic achievement of Office Technology and Management (OTM) students in Polytechnics in SouthWestern zone of Nigeria. The population of the study comprised all HND I and HND II in the five States and four Federal Polytechnics offering OTM in SouthWestern zone of Nigeria. Through random sampling method, three States and two Federal Polytechnics were selected as sample for the study. A total of 512 HND I and HND II students were eventually selected out of 682 students through stratified sampling method. Questionnaire was the major instrument used to gather data for the study; while, mean and standard deviation were used to analyse the data gathered. It was found that government non-implementation of examination malpractice decree and inadequate preparation for examinations were some of the causes of examination malpractices; also, the study confirmed that irreversible loss of credibility and dismissal from school were the consequences of examination malpractice on OTM students and that implementation of examination malpractice decree and adequate preparation for examinations among others were the ways of minimizing or eliminating examination malpractices among OTM students. It was recommended that government should endeavour to implement examination malpractice Act No 33 of 1999 which stipulated a minimum punishment of N50,000 and a maximum of five years imprisonment without option of fine for students who involved in examination malpractices. If the government implements this Act, examination malpractices may be minimized or eliminated totally and that students should endeavour to prepare adequately for examinations by developing effective study s before, during and after the examination in order to excel in their studies.

Silver Emerald International Schools , Aina Oladele Emmanuel

The incidences of examination malpractice are common everywhere and every examination season witnesses the emergence of new ingenious way of cheating. However, the problem identified in this studied are stated as follows: i mediocrity: generally, the standard of education in Nigeria is not in good conditions as examination malpractices has deteriorated the system. Examination malpractice is an unethical act because it encourages mediocrity in that students who succeed through such unorthodox methods may be rated equal to those who struggle on their own to excel. ii half-baked graduate: Nigerian education system has been marked with the weakness of producing unemployable graduates-graduates who need to attend further training before they could be fit for a job. The most disheartening of all these is that education corruption is being perpetrated by all cadre of people involved in education sector, viz: the government, lecturers, parents, teachers, students etc. in fact it is frustrating that all the stakeholders in education are involved in promoting education corruption. Given the prevalence of examination malpractices in our universities, results tend to give a false picture of the state of affairs; hence a good number of school graduates cannot defend the excellent certificate they are brandishing. iii knowledge gap: This implies that a discrepancy exists in the knowledge that people of varying socioeconomic levels attain when engaging mass media content as a result of examination malpractices. In other words, the information-rich get richer when reading newspapers or watching television news reports, whereas those with relatively less background knowledge typically gain information at a comparatively lesser rate. iv incompetence of professionals in different economic sectors: The nature of examination malpractice has resulted in high turnover of incompetent graduates by institutions of higher learning. It is also posing a great threat to the survival and sustainability of good quality education, integrity and credibility of the certificates awarded. Most of the social ills, including medical malpractice by incompetent doctors, manufacture and sale of fake drugs by pharmacists, collapse of building designed by fraudulent engineers, massive fraud in banks, miscarriage of justice, rigging of election by unelected politicians, poor quality pastors who take advantage of their members, mass failure in examination etc, are consequences of examination malpractice and all these will impede productivity in the country. When employed by companies, much money is expended retraining them because they are product of examination malpractice thereby lowering productivity.

International Journal of Innovative Research in Computer and Communication Engineering

Michael Onyema Edeh, Ph.D

The scourge of examination malpractice has increasingly become a major source of concern to education authorities in most West African countries, particularly in Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Gambia. Recently, the West African Examination Council (WAEC) withheld the results of 180,205 candidates representing 11.33 percent of the total candidates who sat for the 2019 WAEC examination as a result of various reported cases of examination malpractices. Examination malpractice is a threat to quality in education and the society. Considering the potentials of technology in addressing many of the challenges of humanity especially in the educational sector, there is need to examine ways by which it can be used to curb the menace of examination malpractice. Thus, the present study discusses the use of technology to mitigate examination malpractices in West Africa. The study shows that technology offers solutions for mitigation of examination malpractices in West Africa. Some of these technologies include Facial Recognition Technology, Biometric system, and CCTV cameras. The study recommends that government and other stakeholders in education should pay more attention to the issues that causes examination malpractice, and also provide the needed facilities to encourage the use of technologies in education particularly in conduct of examinations.

Sani Sulaiman

This paper focuses on the effect of the examination malpractice and tactics on how eradicate it, procedures of developing reading and understanding habit among the students of secondary schools

Najib Ibrahim Gandu

The last two decades have witnessed an alarming rate of increase in incidents of examination misconduct especially at secondary school level. Evidences abound of increasing incidents of examination malpractice by students. Examination malpractice has become so widespread that there is virtually no examination anywhere at all levels and even outside the formal school system that there is no one form of sharp practice or the other. Every examination season witnesses the emergence of new and ingenious ways of cheating. This research addresses the forms of examination malpractice, problem of examination malpractice, what sustains it, the consequences of examination malpractice and the ways through which examination malpractice could be curbed in order to give credibility to the examination process.

Friday Oko ORJI, PhD

The study investigated ‘causes and effect of examination malpractice on the performance of secondary school students in Orumba South Local Government Area. Three (3) research questions were used for the study with descriptive survey design adopted. Purposive sample technique and sample size of 200 respondents composed of fifty (50) teachers and hundred and fifty (150) students were used for the study. The responses were analyzed using arithmetic mean (X). The study was reported, among other things, that population explosion, corruption, fear of examination failure, parents’ pressure, laziness on the part of the students, bring about examination fraud. It was further reported that parents’ withdrawal of their children from the affected schools, emergence of bad reputation, employers’ loss of confidence on the educational system, inadequate performance of graduates at work places and cancellation of examinations constitute the effects of examination fraud. It was recommended that adequate funding of schools, adequate re-orientation of all parties to examination fraud, safe keeping of examination question papers and answered scripts, adequate sitting arrangement of students during examinations would help to solve the menace of examination misconduct in our school system

Examination Malpractice: Causes, Effects, And Solutions

Did you know that one million dollars are lost to examination malpractices in Nigeria every year?

50% of Nigerian students have been victims of examination malpractice. They failed a subject or an exam due to examination malpractices.

Or that a teacher or lecturer is involved in over 70% of these cases, and sometimes, even the Principal. These are just some of the sad truths about examination malpractices in Nigeria.

Examination malpractices are scandals that have taken over the Nigerian education sector.

In this article, we will look into the major causes, effects, and solutions to examination malpractices in Nigeria's educational sector.

Effects of examination malpractices on students are closely associated with poor results and low academic performances.

Low academic performances affect both students' native aptitude, their future development as well as their future career opportunities.

The effects exam malpractice can have on students can be demotivating and discouraging. Those suffering from the problem may eventually affect their performance later on in life.

But before we look into the causes, effects, and solutions to examination malpractices in Nigeria, let's quickly check what examination malpractice is.

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What Is Examination Malpractice?

Examination Malpractice is defined as a deliberate illegal act contrary to the rules and regulations of the official examination.

In another way, it can be defined as illegal or improper conduct by a candidate of an examination with the aim to pass an exam.

This illegal act is alarming in our educational sector today. Many students are always on the lookout for means to cheat in their exams.

Cheating in examinations is a problem prevalent in our society today, as a result of an abundance of examination malpractices.

Now, let's check the causes of examination malpractice in our Nigerian schools today.

Causes Of Examination Malpractice In Schools

There are many factors that cause examination malpractice among students in Nigeria and other countries.

Some of them are:

1. Fear of failure.

2. Laziness of students.

3. Lack of self-confidence.

4. Poor quality teaching.

5. Bad school management.

6. Poor parental upbringing.

7. Peer pressure.

8. Inadequate study materials.

9. High level of poverty.

10. Bad government practices.

11. Teacher's attitude to work.

12. Poor supervision.

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As you can see, all these factors can cause students to engage in examination malpractice in school.

However, I am going to explain some of these factors and how they impact examination malpractice in our schools today.

1. Fear of Failure

Many students engage in examination malpractices because they are afraid that they will fail the exams.

When they should spend quality time reading their notes they are panicking about the examination. The fear of failure is one of the major causes of illegal acts in exams today.

2. Laziness of Students

Yes, it is hundred per cent true that many students are very lazy in their academic careers.

They are lazy to read and study notes, do their home works and assignments, and carry out the tasks given to them by their teachers or lecturers.

Laziness will make any students go the extra mile (illegal ways) to pass exams.

3. Poor Parental Upbringing

You will agree with me that poor parental upbringing is one of the major causes of examination malpractice in Nigeria today.

Many parents do not have time to train their children in the right way because of work and busyness. And the parents who have the time to teach their children taught them in the wrong way.

Lack of proper home training has caused some students to engage in examination malpractices because they don't find anything wrong with it.

4. High Level of Poverty

Indeed, poverty makes some students engage in examination malpractices because education and schooling require parents to spend money on their children.

Some parents could not afford to buy textbooks, novels, and other necessary materials for their children. This leads to the students cheating in examinations.

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5. Bad Government Practices

The government is the body controlling the educational sector from nursery schools to tertiary institutions.

If the government engage in some bad practices, it will affect the education sector.

A corrupt government will produce corrupt officials. This will lead to students engaging in examination malpractices.

Why? Because teachers, lecturers, and education officials are involved in these illegal practices too.

6. Teacher's Attitude To Work

Here is another cause of examination malpractices many people are not talking about.

Teachers' bad attitude to work enhances the high rate of examination malpractices in Nigeria.

Some teachers or lecturers are indeed lazy to teach students in class as they ought to.

For instance, some teachers or lecturers have not covered the quarter (1/4) of the syllabus they are supposed to teach for a term or semester.

Yet they set out questions on every topic in the syllabus for the students in the exam. How do you expect them to pass? Some of the students will settle to cheat in exams.

Right now, you might be asking yourself if examination malpractices have effects on students?

Yes, it does. So, what are the effects of examination malpractices on students?

Effects Of Examination Malpractices On Students

Here, I have explained the 7 powerful effects of examination malpractice on students in another post.

Go here to read the article now - 7 Effects Of Examination Malpractices On Students

Now, that you've known what examination malpractice is, the causes, and the effects on students. Let's quickly check the solution to it.

Solutions To Examination Malpractices In Nigeria

What can we do to eliminate these illegal practices in Nigeria? Here are some of the solutions to eradicate the problem of examination malpractices in Nigeria:

1. Good Parental Upbringing

"Charity begins at home," they say. If we are going to eradicate examination malpractices, it must begin at home.

Parental upbringing contributes a lot to these illegal acts in exams.

So, it is the role of the parents to give their children proper home training and teach them against examination malpractices.

A student with solid home training will not engage in these improper activities in exams.

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2. Punishment of Students

Another practical and effective solution to examination malpractices in Nigeria is to punish students found engaging in any illegal acts during exams.

Other students will take caution when they know there is severe punishment for any illegal or misconduct during exams.

This will help to reduce examination malpractices gradually in schools today.

3. Good School Management

Good school management includes good quality teaching, good equipment and facilities, a conducive environment, adequate study materials, and so on.

This will help students pay more attention in class and be more serious with their studies.

4. Increment In The Salaries Of Teachers

Teachers and lecturers should be appreciated for their hard work and rewarded equally.

This will make them have the right attitude to work and carry out their duties accordingly.

Also, an increment in the salaries of teachers will reduce examination malpractices in Nigeria.

5. Government Should Encourage Education

The government has a role to play in eradicating examination malpractices in Nigeria.

The government should encourage and spend more on education. It should provide more facilities and equipment and other necessary things for schools.

Examination malpractice is very alarming in Nigeria. This act is reducing our national integrity and values.

The government, teachers, parents, and students have roles to play in eradicating these illegal acts in schools during exams.

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Introduction

Education by and large intends to develop the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains of learners ( Asare-Danso, 2018). On the personal development subject, Anane and Asamoah-Gyimah (2014) stated that education priorities and processes are guided by societal needs, goals, and desires to prepare young people to fit into society. The pair emphasizes the significance of setting and achieving learning objectives while training students since learning outcomes are fully realized once students are aware of the construct validity of their academic performance as evidenced by grades. Examining is hence one of the processes used to determine one’s educational achievement, which is assessed by grades.

The History of Education in Ghana .

The history of education in Ghana has been associated with the coming and the activities of European Merchants on the Gold Coast now Ghana. The Portuguese who arrived first established schools intending to encourage the teaching of reading, writing, and the Catholic religion to the people in Elmina where they settled. Though there are no grounds to establish the success of the Portuguese, it is established that the English, Danish and Dutch organizations operated schools on the Gold Coast where the instruction was mainly reading, writing, and religious education (StateUniversity.com). However, not every child had the opportunity to attend the Castle schools except for the mulattoes or children of Ghanaian women who were married to European traders, children of prominent chiefs, and affluent merchants (McWilliam, 1962). The Christian missionaries needed a staff of educated local assistants to establish independent native churches and as a result contributed immensely to the commencement of formal education in Ghana (Vivian, 2016). To the Missionaries, education was necessary to be able to interpret the Bible into local languages to enable the Africans to have skills in Bible reading (Graham, 1971).

According to Abroampa (2007), the bedrock of education in Ghana throughout the colonial era has been a trilogy: religion, learning, and moral training. Nonetheless, the integration of religious education in the school curriculum was not exclusively on education but as well as historical and moral grounds.

It was as a result of the objectives of the Christian Missionaries that the Basel Missionary established the first teacher training college in Ghana, Presbyterian Training College in 1848 at Akropong-Akwapim. The Wesleyan and the Roman Catholic Missionaries followed suit to set up Wesley College in Kumasi, Holy Child Training College in Takoradi, and others. Since the focus was ecclesiastical and evangelical, apart from the special areas, the Bible was the foundation upon which religious, moral, and character training was dispensed (Abroaampa, 2007).

Ghana’s education and teacher training have faced several secularizations but there was no formal curriculum for religious, moral, or character development. The missionaries’ colleges formulated their structures for education exclusively on the Bible. Subsequently, cultural studies were introduced as a subject area to study in basic schools. Asare-Danso (2018) noted that Traditional African Education was a casual type of education that took place in the home where parents and adults in the community acted as teachers. Therefore, it was a collective mandate for everyone to teach and bring up children in a community. However, due to the emergence of religious pluralism and social dynamism, it became necessary to broaden the scope of education and religious and moral education. In support of the face rising consensus in society, the school has been mandated to address the issue of moral education with a united effort and a holistic approach to fight moral degeneration eating up the social fabric of Ghana (C.R.D.D, 1999).

In this vein, the Ghana Education Service in cooperation with the Curriculum Research and Development Division introduced Religious and Moral Education (RME) into the educational system throughout junior secondary schools and senior secondary schools in 1999 to replace Cultural Studies. The focus of Religious and Moral Education as a subject is on the moral values of the main religious bodies in Ghana comprising, African Traditional Religion, Christianity, and Islamic religion (Asiedu, 2009). It also has components of social and moral contents such as individual and collective rights and responsibilities, bribery and corruption, teenage pregnancy, drug abuse, etc which are shackles to the progress of the country. More importantly, the Code and Professional Conducts for teachers under Ghana Education Service has largely entrusted into the hands of teachers the education of children in Ghana and places teachers, whatever their role, in a special perspective of obligations, which requires an exceptionally high standard of behavior and conduct (Ghana Education Service, 2008).

Basic Education in Ghana

According to the Anamuah-Mensah Report (2002), the term “basic education” refers to the “minimum period of schooling needed to ensure that children acquire basic literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving skills, as well as skills for creativity and healthy living.” In the same vein, Alexander (2009) asserts that the primary objective of basic education is to provide students with a unique opportunity to learn basic life skills such as reading, writing, spelling, interpersonal communication, tolerance, respect, time management, and self-discipline. However, this can only be achieved if the quality is at the forefront.

Educators have not agreed on a generally accepted definition of quality education as there are no established methods for assessing educational progress to determine whether it is of high or low quality (Bawa, 2011). Nonetheless, UNESCO (2017) perceived quality education as issues such as adequate skill development, gender equality, availability of school infrastructure, adequate teaching equipment, materials and resources, scholarships, and teaching staff . This promotes access to quality education as a human right and advocates a rights-based approach in all educational activities (Pigozzi, 2004) and access to education that is not of high quality is a waste of time and money (Bawa, 2011).

The government of Ghana has recently revised the school curriculum to include the Senior High School in the basic education system, which formerly consisted of kindergarten (2 years), primary school (6 years), and junior high school (3 years). Pupils do not write national examinations after primary school and therefore do not receive any certificates, but are automatically promoted to junior high school. Junior high school graduates, on the other hand, take national examinations (Basic Education Certificate Examination, BECE) and are awarded certificates upon completion of year three. In short, pupils attend basic school for 11 years. The Constitution (1992) of Ghana guarantees the right to basic education in article 25 (1), which stipulates that “Basic education shall be free, compulsory and available to all.”

The government of Ghana has made frantic efforts over the years to introduce significant policies such as Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE), provision of infrastructure, promotion of gender equality, Capitation Grants, school feeding for primary schools, and providing free school uniforms for children from low-income homes in response to global development frameworks such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Dakar Principles for Education for All (EFA).

Despite government efforts to improve access and quality through spending on education for all, the basic education system still faces unpleasant quality and equity challenges that prohibit thousands of children from going to school and learning (UNICEF, 2015). For example, poor children’s learning attainment; insufficient supply of trained and competent teachers; inadequate water and sanitation facilities; excessive class sizes; and a lack of teaching and learning resources exist in the basic schools, particularly schools in rural communities. These obstacles over the years have been reflected in the students’ abysmal performance in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and some including their teachers indulging in examination malpractices. However, there is some evidence that illustrates differences in student performance in the basic education certificate examination , which has been linked to the effectiveness of private individuals and institutions with better resources and encouraging their staff to do their best (Yeboah, 2014).

Deplorable Nature of Basic Schools

According to the 1992 constitution, “ the Government shall […] draw up the program for implementation over the next ten years for the provision of Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education,” the FCUBE was launched in October 1995 and was to be implemented over ten years (1996-2005). The policy was initiated to overcome some of the inadequacies of the past educational reform programs and to expand access to quality basic education in Ghana (Osifunke, 2018). The policy recommends the government provide free tuition, textbooks, teaching and learning materials, and subsidies for the cost of exercise books through the FCUBE program. It also covers the costs of Basic Education Certificate Education (BECE) for both public and private candidates. However, parents are required to enroll their school-age children, feed them, and supply them with school uniforms, school bags, stationery, and transportation if needed (Daily Graphic, Friday, November 17, 2000, 19; culled from; Akyeampong, 2009). The compulsory component showed the commitment to pressure parents to enroll their children throughout the entire period of basic education. At the inception, parents were threatened with fines for non-compliance, but without an enforcement plan, which amounted to an empty threat (MOE / GES 2001).

However, the overall implementation of the policy and other recent interventions have not been encouraging as a result of the tenacity of rural-urban inequities, especially the infrastructure and other essential teaching and learning resources as well as personnel as compared to urban Ghana. Some classrooms, especially in rural communities, deserve to be referred to as death traps that alienate both students and teachers from school. Because most of these structures are dangerous, some parents opt to keep their children at home or send them to work on farms instead of sending them to school. Where there are buildings, children sit on the floor with broken furniture and lie on the floor to write notes, while others sit in classrooms with potholes, making teaching and learning uncomfortable.

The rural-urban inequality gap is widening because the government’s social interventions, including those on education, are often implemented across the board with little regard for the unique context of rural communities and do not target the local needs, knowledge, and content that are critical for long-term outcomes (Anlimachie 2016). Long distances continue to be a barrier to equitable access to education in rural communities, as the majority of Ghana’s primary schools lack junior high schools. Whereas most junior high school communities are located further away from primary schools, making them inaccessible to students due to a poor transportation network (Amoako, 2010).

According to African Education Watch (2022), prioritizing some aspects of the education sector while ignoring others is counterproductive to meeting Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG-4) by 2030. The CEO of the civil society group emphasized that despite having nearly six million students enrolled in public basic schools (from primary through junior high school) in the country than in other forms of education, the sector receives a small portion of the GETFund disbursement. With almost 5,000 schools operating under trees, sheds, and dilapidated structures and 4,000 primary schools lacking JHS, the basic school level has the worst infrastructure deficit. This results in a high drop-out rate of up to 28 percent in underserved regions of the northern half of the country.

Concept of examination malpractice

Wilayat (2009) describes examination to consist of two distinct concepts: first, achieving the intended goal, and second, being a consistent and trustworthy means of measurement. Therefore, an anomaly or examination malpractice, renders the legitimacy and outcome questionable. The West African Examination Council (WAEC) is responsible for overseeing the pre-tertiary final-year examination in Ghana.

Examination malpractice, according to Azuru (2009), is unethical behavior committed by a test taker before, during, or after the test, typically to gain an unfair advantage or obtain an unjust grade. The WAEC (2003) defines examination malpractice as any unusual behavior displayed by candidates or anyone in charge of administering exams, within or outside the exam room, before, during, or after thAe exam. Recent examinations in Ghana have been plagued by question leaks and have become a seasonal topic of debate and undermine the credibility of the examination system. Nwana (2000) expanded on the WAEC definition by describing examination malpractice as a “massive and unprecedented abuse of rules and regulations on internal and external examinations, beginning with the setting of such examinations, through the taking of such examinations, their marking, and grading, to the release of the results and the issuance of certificates.” Kyeremeh, Graham, Fabea, and Dabone (2015) discovered that examination misconduct is still prevalent, with the majority of respondents admitting to having cheated in the past and saying they would cheat again if given the chance. Moreover, the repercussions of this ailment are not implausible; they are Machiavellian, gory, diabolical, and unpleasant.

Several studies have revealed that examination malpractice is pervasive in societies and that its consequences can be seen in the quality of human resources produced by their educational system; however, it’s frightening to realize that Ghana has not had trouble-free examinations in recent years. The fraud, which takes many forms and ranges from massive leaks, and invigilators writing on chalkboards for students to neck-stretching in exam halls, has frequently resulted in some schools having some or all of their papers canceled. To substantiate the impacts of examination malpractice on education, Jimoh (2009) disclosed in a study that countries known for examination malpractice have comatose education systems in terms of international cooperation in education.

Some of the factors that lead to examination malpractices include non-completion of syllabi, candidates’ inadequate examination preparation, candidates’ desperation to pass exams at all costs, the school’s performance standings, and laxity in prosecuting offenders (Adamu, 1998; Onyechere, 2008). It baffles me why the canker is a national phenomenon and an annual ritual yet nothing is being done about it. Those arrested in connection with the practice are frequently not heard from again after the exams are completed. What is unclear is whether they are subjected to the due process of the law, or whether the appropriate punishment is meted out to those found guilty. Examination malpractices have always existed in Ghana, according to the West African Examination Council’s annual press releases. Table 1 summarises the malpractice trend in the country for some years, showing the number of students involved in examination malpractices.

Table 1: Examination of Malpractice Trend in Ghana

Source: WAEC

According to Table 1, examination malpractice is more prevalent in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) than in the Basic Certificate Examination (BECE). The summation of the figures for both school exams is shown below.

Out of 82,682 candidates for the BECE and WASSCE, 28,712 were caught cheating in 2018. This figure increased to 51547 out of the 863,425 students who took both exams in 2019. However, the table demonstrates that the number of WASSCE candidates involved in the act (48855) was more than double that of the BECE. In 2020, the figure dropped dramatically to 4721 candidates out of 978,059 before rebounding slightly to 5,621 candidates out of 1018,519 in 2021.

Research Questions

What kind of exam fraud does the West African Examination Council encounter?
What are the causes of examination malpractices in Ghana?
Who is involved in examination malpractices in Ghana?

Research Design

A document analysis design was employed for the study and hence, extant data will be used for the analysis. Qualitative document analysis (QDA) is a research method that analyses the contents of written documents rigorously and systematically (Wach, Ward & Jacimovic 2013). Researchers regard it as a versatile tool for analyzing text data (Cavanagh, 1997). The huge volume of material already written on this issue influenced the selection of qualitative data. To do this, content analysis was employed to carefully select relevant material from the WAEC and other authors with authority that provided significant information on examination misconduct in Ghana for the analysis of this study. The data used, ranged from 2018 to 2021. The study aimed to examine examination malpractices between 2018 to 2021 in Ghana to answer the research questions.

Data Collection

The goal of this study was to explore examination malpractices in Ghana to determine their nature, their root causes, and the individuals who commit these malpractices during the numerous exams that the West African Examination Council administered between 2018 and 2021. Existing documents and archives from the West African Examination Council and authoritative articles were purposively selected via the internet and qualitatively analyzed to determine examination malpractices in Ghana. The emphasis was on the abstracts, introductions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations. This method was adopted and deemed suitable because of the sensitivity of examination malpractice and the amount of research conducted in the area in Ghana.

Data analysis.

The study considered only relevant data that could be used to answer the research questions, and data thinning was performed to extract the relevant data to examine the nature of examination malpractice and identify the caliber of people who engage in the act. The data was then organized into smaller units following the study questions that had been prepared for coding after the researcher had found patterns and frequent sequences in the data. Reading over the material and carefully noting concept repetitions was how the coding was carried out. Using this approach, the researcher was able to collect and analyze data in line with the study’s research questions. The findings were then summarised into a logical report, making inferences and drawing conclusions.

Developing Themes

The major themes that were identified during data interpretation include:

the nature of examination malpractice in Ghana

This study showed that examination malpractices take several forms in Ghana. In a WAEC press release (September 2, 2022) concerning the conduct of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for school candidates in 2022 and emerging issues, the following issues were highlighted: impersonation, syndicate cheating in schools, smuggling of mobile phones into examination halls by candidates, restriction of access to school compounds for monitoring purposes as the major trends of examination malpractices. WAEC (2014, 2018, and 2019) further indicated that “script conspiracy” constitutes the most common type of examination malpractice in the WASSCE.

A study by Achio, Ameko, Kutsanedzie, Alhassan, & Ganaa (2012) examined the forms, contributing causes, and major participants in examination misconduct as well as the effects and countermeasures. The descriptive survey classified test misconduct into the following categories: writing on things and applicants’ bodies; leaks; impersonation; cheating; plagiarism; falsified course work; using programmable calculators and other technological devices during the examination; concealing materials in washrooms, pockets, private parts, and pen corks to be used as reference materials; giraffe; illegally assisting candidates and colluding with members of staff to replace the original answered script with a pre-prepared answered script. The report indicated once more that between 2000 and 2011, various kinds of examination misconduct increased from 5 to 12, representing a 140% rise. Moreover, the study demonstrated that close to 37% of respondents have ever been involved in malpractice, and 94.5% agreed that examination malpractice is unethical.

Similarly, a study conducted by Folson & Awuah (2014) on combating examination malpractices in the Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE) in Ghana asserted that examination questions leak a couple of weeks through advertisements on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media to attract customers, mostly heads of schools and proprietors and that invigilators act as conduits between the cheating students and the smuggling of the solutions to the exam halls. The study’s findings show that the leaking cartel comes in two types: first- and second-source. First-sourced cartels claim that WAEC officials are their primary source of questions, which they pass on to second-sourced cartels. It is also claimed that second-sourced cartels transmit them to other interested cartels, generally with the solution to the leaked questions. The first-sourced cartels are said to pay between GH 2,000 and GH 2,500 for each sheet and sell them to second-sourced cartels for between GH 1,000 and GH 1,500. Most second-source cartels often answer the questions and sell them directly to schools or third-source cartels for between GH700 and GH1, 000 per paper, enriching these cartels with large sums of money each year and constantly looking for ways to circumvent WAEC’s modalities for preventing cheating in their examinations.

causes of examination malpractices

Many reasons for exam malpractice have been discovered via research. According to Tawiah, Alberta, Bossman, and Ata (2015), one of the reasons students are involved in examination fraud is the pressure to meet high parental demands for excellent results. Adamu, Cobbinah, and Alhassan (2021) attributed examination malpractice to bad study habits, a desire to avoid failure, anxiety, and panic, and a lack of academic competence in their assessment of the factors causing Senior High students’ involvement in examination malpractice in the Takoradi Metropolis of Ghana. The study also linked exam fraud to incompetent teachers, inability to cover the syllabus, bad teaching methods, inadequate seating arrangements, the congested aspect of the examination room, and teachers’ lack of topic expertise.

Ampofo (2020) categorized the factors that promote examination malpractices in Ghana into teachers, students, parents, and the environment. Under the teachers’ factors, the researcher found a lack of mastery skills in teaching, bad teaching techniques, inadequate teachers’ textbooks, untrained teachers, and an inability to cover the required syllabus. The investigation also discovered students’ lack of self-motivation, improper examination preparation, poor efficacy, poor study habits, and a lack of desire, low academic competence, and relationships with peers who tend to cheat and need to avoid failure. Moreover, the study found that improper parental training at home, deficient parental supervision, a lack of basic learning resources, parents purchasing exam materials for students, and parents giving exam officials money in exchange for assistance for their kids are all contributing factors to examination malpractice in Ghana. Furthermore, the study discovered that the crowded character of the examination rooms, as well as the location of examination centers in distant places with limited access for complete monitoring, are environmental factors influencing examination malpractices. Studies show that most examination facilities have traditional seating arrangements (snake-like), often rows of fixed seats with students facing the invigilator and with their backs to one another. This seating arrangement is common in colleges and effective in reducing student-student interaction. However, because examination rooms are usually crowded, students can easily copy from one another.

Arhin (2020) researched the perceived factors causing BECE exam malpractices among students in Asante Akim North District. Using Krejcie and Morgan’s (1970) sample size determination table, he selected 132 teachers from a target population of 200. The study discovered that students and schools engage in examination misconduct to appear at the top of their zones and other levels, owing to the attention that comes with it.

Individuals Implicated in Examination Malpractice

A significant number of studies have cited several people who engage in examination malpractices. According to a WAEC press release (September 16, 2022), teachers, students, and invigilators are the primary perpetrators of exam malpractice in Ghana. Achio et al. (2012) named the ensuing persons implicated in examination fraud: examination bodies; school proprietors; teachers and supervisors; parents and guardians; examination servicers; students and candidates; and examiners and examination managers. However, Adamu et al. (2015) contend that the majority of examination malpractices are committed by students for a variety of reasons, including poor study habits, a desire to avoid failure, anxiety, panic, and low academic ability.

Conclusions and Recommendations

Examination malpractice in Ghana comes in different forms including impersonation, syndicate cheating in schools, candidates sneaking mobile phones into exam rooms, collusion over scripts, writing on objects and students’ bodies, leaks, illegal assistance given to students by invigilators, denying exam monitors access to school grounds, and plagiarism. This implies that everyone participating in examination administration must be skilled, vigilant, accountable, and empowered to assist remove the aforementioned examination malpractices. WAEC must pick invigilators who are trustworthy, capable of withstanding financial pressure, and knowledgeable, rather than teachers who are also complicit in the act.

The study also determined that the most common causes of malpractice in Ghana are the pressure to meet high parental demands for excellent results, bad study habits, a desire to avoid failure, anxiety, and panic, a lack of academic competence, improper parental training at home, deficient parental supervision, a lack of basic learning resources, inadequate seating arrangements, the congested nature of the examination rooms, bad teaching techniques, and schools’ desire to come on top of ranking tables. WAEC should collaborate with the Ghana Education Service to make the cheating policy available to students at all levels of education, including the punishment for cheaters if they are trapped. WAEC must also adopt the snake-like seating arrangement with 1.50 cm spacing as the standard arrangement for the country’s standardized examinations.

The study identified individuals involved in examination malpractice in Ghana, including examination administrators, class teachers, students, and parents. The practice has become a cankerworm gnawing deeply into the fabric of the educational system in Ghana, with horrifying consequences such as a social and economic impact on people and jeopardizing the reputation of academic degrees in the country. The West African Examination Council should therefore be much concerned about the behavior of their employees and implement a policy that will subject invigilators to a thorough search before accessing examination halls to prevent them from smuggling mobile phones and foreign material into the examination halls.

The Ghana Education Service should promote an innovative, practical, and vocational education system rather than a theory-based. The education strategy must be devised to connect theory with practice to develop graduates with practical and vocational knowledge, and the existing ranking system used to evaluate schools must be abolished.

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What is examination malpractice: causes, effects, and solutions in Nigeria

In almost every country in the modern-day world, examinations are among the primary methods of assessing learners' skills and knowledge. In Nigeria, these exams come in the form of primary school exams, secondary school exams, and those conducted in higher learning institutions. Still, one of the biggest challenges in carrying out these assessments is examination malpractice. This vice has eaten so deep into the Nigerian education system that it can no longer be ignored. What is examination malpractice, and what are its effects?

Exam malpractice comes in numerous forms and can include any of a wide range of parties, including the examinees, tutors, examiners, and other external forces.

What is examination malpractice?

The definition of examination malpractice is improper or illegal conduct by an examination candidate (examinee) with the intention of passing the examination. While some debate on examination malpractice as a result of inadequate preparation, others believe it is driven by the pressure to achieve high grades.

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Types of examination malpractice

To define examination malpractice, one must understand that exams are designed to take place under a set of standards. When these standards are breached, it is often in the form of one or more forms of malpractice. Here are the various forms that exam malpractice can take.

Impersonation: This is one of the best-known forms of examination malpractice in numerous countries worldwide, including Nigeria . Impersonation is the act of pretending to be another person with the aim of helping them cheat and pass the exams.
External assistance: This vice usually involves exam officers who receive bribes from candidates in exchange for assistance before, during, or after the examinations. These officers can sometimes threaten students, forcing them to part with bribes.
Giraffing: This term is derived from the physical features of the giraffe, particularly its long neck. This malpractice involves a situation in which an examinee cranes their neck to view what their neighbour is writing and copy it. It is among the oldest forms of exam malpractice.
Inscription: This involves inscribing notes on one's body or materials allowed into the exam room. Some of the most common include writing notes on one's palm, tables, examination hall walls, and small pieces of paper.
Collusion: This is the vice that results in what is commonly known as exam leakage. Typically, a candidate colludes with an officer of the exam-setting body, allowing them to get a copy of the questions in advance. They then revise the exact questions.
Intimidation/assault: Students sitting their exams can sometimes intimidate or assault the officers invigilating the exams. This can be in brandishing weapons or any other form of assault. The exam officers are then forced to let the candidates carry out their wishes, often some other form of cheating .

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What are the five causes of examination malpractice?

Here are the primary causes of exam malpractice in Nigeria.

1. Parenting failure

Parenting is, quite often, the beginning of numerous virtues and vices. Parents typically play an integral role in examination malpractice in Nigeria. Some parents have little interest in their children's academic life.

When exam time comes around, some of these parents are often at the forefront in facilitating cheating for their children to get good grades.

2. A corrupt educational system

One of the most significant aspects to blame is the extent of the rot in the education sector. Today, education is viewed as a business, with some school owners willing to do anything to ensure their institutions come out on top.

Additionally, some institutions employ untrained teachers to reduce their operations costs. This affects students' performance, making them resort to unorthodox methods to attain good grades.

3. Poor students attitude

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Since students are the common factor in all forms of malpractice, they bear the biggest responsibility in the vice. Some students have been known to be lazy and seek any shortcut to good grades that do not involve studying and working hard.

Some students do not believe in the tried and tested attributes such as dedication and consistency. As a result of this poor attitude, such students often tend to resort to various forms of examination malpractice.

4. Environmental (societal) factors

Nigerian candidates have found themselves in a society where examination malpractice is celebrated and, sometimes, justified. The environment has a way of influencing students who are quick to embrace norms.

In a society that will go to any lengths to succeed, cheating has become one of the somewhat accepted vices in society.

5. Undue emphasis on academic results

Exam malpractices are on the rise partly due to the high-value society has placed on academic results over skills and professionalism. Thus, everybody wants to get that piece of paper by hook or crook.

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What are the 10 effects of examination malpractice?

What are the three forms of examination malpractice?

Examination malpractice can have various negative effects on individuals, educational institutions, and society as a whole. Here are some of the undesirable effects brought about by exam malpractices.

Underdevelopment: One of the primary reasons most underdeveloped countries find themselves in precarious situations is the lack of qualified personnel in various economic sectors. This happens when the education sector constantly produces unqualified people who only pass their examinations through cheating.
Unqualified professionals: Examination malpractice may result in individuals passing exams without the necessary skills and knowledge, leading to a workforce with inadequately qualified professionals.
Negative impact on prospects: Students involved in examination malpractice may face difficulties in the future, as employers and higher education institutions might question the authenticity of their qualifications.
Increased corruption: Corruption is among Nigeria's biggest economic problems. Looking at the vice critically, one can see that the corruption in numerous public offices stems from the country's generally corrupt societal and education systems. If students cheat in their exams, they believe they can get away with any form of corruption afterwards.
Legal and disciplinary consequences: In some cases, examination malpractice can lead to legal actions or disciplinary measures, resulting in serious consequences for the individuals involved.
Erosion of academic integrity: Examination malpractice undermines the values of honesty, integrity, and fair competition in the educational system, leading to a lack of trust and respect for academic achievements.
Degradation of educational standards: When students resort to cheating, the true assessment of knowledge and skills becomes compromised, leading to a decline in the overall quality of education.
Reduced motivation to learn: Students who engage in malpractice may rely on cheating instead of genuinely learning, leading to a lack of motivation for academic excellence.
Devaluation of certificates: Widespread malpractice can diminish the value of academic certificates and qualifications, impacting the credibility of the entire education system.
Inequality among students: It can create an uneven playing field, benefiting those who cheat while disadvantaging honest students who work hard.

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What are the solutions to examination malpractice?

What are the five causes of examination malpractice?

Here is a look at some of the possible measures that can be taken to curb exam malpractice.

Creation of more schools and learning facilities: This will go a long way in ensuring Nigeria's classrooms are not overcrowded. As a result, examinees will have a harder time engaging in vices such as giraffing, which are common in overcrowded exam halls.
Government should encourage education: In some developed countries, the government actively encourages the populace to acquire education. This is done through numerous incentives such as loans and grants. This goes a long way in curbing malpractice since the students' goals become attaining knowledge and skills.
De-emphasizing the need for academic results: Given that people are endowed differently, reducing the emphasis placed on academic results would only make sense. Some people acquire knowledge and skills easily but cannot articulate them in an examination paper. Instead, employers should find ways to gauge someone's ability via practical skills, not written examinations.
Rewarding those who report malpractices: In 2011, the government of Nigeria came up with a new way of nabbing corrupt government officials. This was via an incentive program to reward those who reported corruption cases. The same concept can be applied to exam malpractice.
Encouraging good parental upbringing: Poor parenting plays a huge role in exam cheating. The government can develop social programs designed to change how parents view their roles in this modern digital era.

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What is the standard definition of examination malpractice in Nigeria?

Examination malpractice meaning is simply improper or illegal conduct by an examination candidate (examinee) with the intention of passing the examination.

What are the three forms of examination malpractice?

The common forms of examination malpractice include:

Cheating: Involves using unauthorized materials, notes, or devices during an examination. It can also include copying from another student's paper or obtaining answers from external sources such as hidden notes.
Plagiarism: The act of presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own without giving proper credit or acknowledgement.
Impersonation: Occurs when a student takes an examination on behalf of someone else, pretending to be that person.

Why do students cheat in their exams?

There are numerous reasons, some of the most common being society's emphasis on academic certificates, overpopulated schools, and poor upbringing.

What are the effects of exam malpractice?

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Some of the most detrimental ones include underdevelopment, increased corruption, and a country's loss of integrity.

What is examination malpractice? This is any form of dishonest or fraudulent behavior carried out by individuals during an examination to gain an unfair advantage. It is considered a serious offense in educational settings and is condemned by educational institutions, governments, and society as a whole.

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The jury is still out on whether the positive effects outweigh the negative ones or not. Nevertheless, the inarguable fact is that post-colonial Nigeria is vastly different from pre-colonial Nigeria in so many aspects.

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Pupils warned of punishment if they search for exam papers on social media

Pupils have been told they risk being disqualified if they look for exam papers on social media .

Teenagers who look for the exams or take their phones into an exam hall face the punishment, England’s exams regulator warned.

There were 2,180 cases with penalties for this type of offence in 2023, compared with 1,825 in 2022, according to figures from the exams regulator.

Students should report accounts claiming to sell this year’s exam papers – which are “almost always scams” – to teachers, the chief regulator has said.

Ahead of exam season, Ofqual has urged students to plan somewhere safe to leave their mobile device during exams after instances of students being found with mobile devices in exams have almost doubled since 2018.

Research for Ofqual last year suggested that most students do not intend to use their phones to cheat, but they do not want to be separated from them as they are worried about loss or damage.

Sir Ian Bauckham, chief regulator at Ofqual, said: “Students should also be aware of the risks of exam papers on social media.

“Accounts claiming to sell this year’s exam papers are almost always scams. Students should report these accounts to teachers.

“Students risk losing the qualification they’ve been studying for if they search for or communicate with social media accounts claiming to sell leaked exam papers.

“Sanctions can still apply even if the papers turn out to be fake. Buying papers is never worth the risk.”

Sir Ian added: “Students have been working hard to prepare for their exams, and nobody wants them to miss out on their grades and qualifications.

“Thankfully, most students are aware of the risks of malpractice and comply with the rules.

“It’s important that the rules are followed so that grades reflect what a student knows, understands and can do.”

Ofqual data, released in December last year, showed that there were 4,895 cases of malpractice during GCSEs, AS and A-level examinations which included students in 2023, up from 4,105 in 2022.

A spokesperson for the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ), which represents the UK’s major exam boards, said: “It is important students know to report fraudulent accounts claiming to sell exam papers on social media to their teachers.

“JCQ wishes all students well with their exams and assessments.”

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “We are sure that the vast majority of students taking exams will stick to the rules, but there are always some who do not do so, and unfortunately the misuse of digital technology is a real headache.

“ Schools and colleges rigorously police exam rooms to ensure that devices are not brought in by candidates and they warn students not to try to find exam papers on social media.

“These are generally fake papers being circulated as a scam, but in the rare event of a genuine paper being leaked, any student accessing that paper risks disqualification.

“It is really important that students take heed of these warnings.”

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Guest Essay

In Medicine, the Morally Unthinkable Too Easily Comes to Seem Normal

A photograph of two forceps, placed handle to tip against each other.

By Carl Elliott

Dr. Elliott teaches medical ethics at the University of Minnesota. He is the author of the forthcoming book “The Occasional Human Sacrifice: Medical Experimentation and the Price of Saying No,” from which this essay is adapted.

Here is the way I remember it: The year is 1985, and a few medical students are gathered around an operating table where an anesthetized woman has been prepared for surgery. The attending physician, a gynecologist, asks the group: “Has everyone felt a cervix? Here’s your chance.” One after another, we take turns inserting two gloved fingers into the unconscious woman’s vagina.

Had the woman consented to a pelvic exam? Did she understand that when the lights went dim she would be treated like a clinical practice dummy, her genitalia palpated by a succession of untrained hands? I don’t know. Like most medical students, I just did as I was told.

Last month the Department of Health and Human Services issued new guidance requiring written informed consent for pelvic exams and other intimate procedures performed under anesthesia. Much of the force behind the new requirement came from distressed medical students who saw these pelvic exams as wrong and summoned the courage to speak out.

Whether the guidance will actually change clinical practice I don’t know. Medical traditions are notoriously difficult to uproot, and academic medicine does not easily tolerate ethical dissent. I doubt the medical profession can be trusted to reform itself.

What is it that leads a rare individual to say no to practices that are deceptive, exploitative or harmful when everyone else thinks they are fine? For a long time I assumed that saying no was mainly an issue of moral courage. The relevant question was: If you are a witness to wrongdoing, will you be brave enough to speak out?

But then I started talking to insiders who had blown the whistle on abusive medical research. Soon I realized that I had overlooked the importance of moral perception. Before you decide to speak out about wrongdoing, you have to recognize it for what it is.

This is not as simple as it seems. Part of what makes medical training so unsettling is how often you are thrust into situations in which you don’t really know how to behave. Nothing in your life up to that point has prepared you to dissect a cadaver, perform a rectal exam or deliver a baby. Never before have you seen a psychotic patient involuntarily sedated and strapped to a bed or a brain-dead body wheeled out of a hospital room to have its organs harvested for transplantation. Your initial reaction is often a combination of revulsion, anxiety and self-consciousness.

To embark on a career in medicine is like moving to a foreign country where you do not understand the customs, rituals, manners or language. Your main concern on arrival is how to fit in and avoid causing offense. This is true even if the local customs seem backward or cruel. What’s more, this particular country has an authoritarian government and a rigid status hierarchy where dissent is not just discouraged but also punished. Living happily in this country requires convincing yourself that whatever discomfort you feel comes from your own ignorance and lack of experience. Over time, you learn how to assimilate. You may even come to laugh at how naïve you were when you first arrived.

A rare few people hang onto that discomfort and learn from it. When Michael Wilkins and William Bronston started working at the Willowbrook State School in Staten Island as young doctors in the early 1970s, they found thousands of mentally disabled children condemned to the most horrific conditions imaginable: naked children rocking and moaning on concrete floors in puddles of their own urine; an overpowering stench of illness and filth; a research unit where children were deliberately infected with hepatitis A and B.

“It was truly an American concentration camp,” Dr. Bronston told me. Yet when he and Dr. Wilkins tried to enlist Willowbrook doctors and nurses to reform the institution, they were met with indifference or hostility. It seemed as if no one else on the medical staff could see what they saw. It was only when Dr. Wilkins went to a reporter and showed the world what was happening behind the Willowbrook walls that anything began to change.

When I asked Dr. Bronston how it was possible for doctors and nurses to work at Willowbrook without seeing it as a crime scene, he told me it began with the way the institution was structured and organized. “Medically secured, medically managed, doctor-validated,” he said. Medical professionals just accommodated themselves to the status quo. “You get with the program because that’s what you’re being hired to do,” he said.

One of the great mysteries of human behavior is how institutions create social worlds where unthinkable practices come to seem normal. This is as true of academic medical centers as it is of prisons and military units. When we are told about a horrific medical research scandal, we assume that we would see it just as the whistle-blower Peter Buxtun saw the Tuskegee syphilis study : an abuse so shocking that only a sociopath could fail to perceive it.

Yet it rarely happens this way. It took Mr. Buxtun seven years to convince others to see the abuses for what they were. It has taken other whistle-blowers even longer. Even when the outside world condemns a practice, medical institutions typically insist that the outsiders don’t really understand.

According to Irving Janis, a Yale psychologist who popularized the notion of groupthink, the forces of social conformity are especially powerful in organizations that are driven by a deep sense of moral purpose. If the aims of the organization are righteous, its members feel, it is wrong to put barriers in the way.

This observation helps explain why academic medicine not only defends researchers accused of wrongdoing but also sometimes rewards them. Many of the researchers responsible for the most notorious abuses in recent medical history — the Tuskegee syphilis study, the Willowbrook hepatitis studies, the Cincinnati radiation studies , the Holmesburg prison studies — were celebrated with professional accolades even after the abuses were first called out.

The culture of medicine is notoriously resistant to change. During the 1970s, it was thought that the solution to medical misconduct was formal education in ethics. Major academic medical centers began establishing bioethics centers and programs throughout the 1980s and ’90s, and today virtually every medical school in the country requires ethics training.

Yet it is debatable whether that training has had any effect. Many of the most egregious ethical abuses in recent decades have taken place in medical centers with prominent bioethics programs, such as the University of Pennsylvania , Duke University , Columbia University and Johns Hopkins University , as well as my own institution, the University of Minnesota .

One could be forgiven for concluding that the only way the culture of medicine will change is if changes are forced on it from the outside — by oversight bodies, legislators or litigators. For example, many states have responded to the controversy over pelvic exams by passing laws banning the practice unless the patient has explicitly given consent.

You may find it hard to understand how pelvic exams on unconscious women without their consent could seem like anything but a terrible invasion. Yet a central aim of medical training is to transform your sensibility. You are taught to steel yourself against your natural emotional reactions to death and disfigurement; to set aside your customary views about privacy and shame; to see the human body as a thing to be examined, tested and studied.

One danger of this transformation is that you will see your colleagues and superiors do horrible things and be afraid to speak up. But the more subtle danger is that you will no longer see what they are doing as horrible. You will just think: This is the way it is done.

Carl Elliott ( @FearLoathingBTX ) teaches medical ethics at the University of Minnesota. He is the author of the forthcoming book “The Occasional Human Sacrifice: Medical Experimentation and the Price of Saying No,” from which this essay is adapted.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

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Examination malpractice
(PDF) Examination Malpractice in the Primary School: Problems and Prospects
Medical Malpractice Essay by Lisa Lovato
(PDF) CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF EXAMINATION MALPRACTICES AMONG JUNIOR HIGH
(DOC) STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF THE CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF
(DOC) THE EFFECT AND CAUSES OF EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE IN SECONDARY

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Examination Malpractice in Nigeria: Why, How and Solution

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Essay On Examination Malpractice
Essay On Examination Malpractice. 856 Words4 Pages. Students indulge themselves in malpractices during examination not only in the Middle East but also in some developed nations. This culture of examination cheating has been treading for a long time. This culture of examination malpractice is common in 'O' level as well as 'A' level.
The Fight against Examination Malpractice: The Way Forward
Received 08 August 2022. Accepted 11 October 2022. Published 28 October 2022. ABSTRACT. Examination malpractice is an unwholesome practice encapsulating different types of malicious. means adopted ...
EXAMINATION MALPRACTICES, CAUSES, EFFECTS AND SOLUTIONS.
Recently, the West African Examination Council (WAEC) withheld the results of 180,205 candidates representing 11.33 percent of the total candidates who sat for the 2019 WAEC examination as a result of various reported cases of examination malpractices. Examination malpractice is a threat to quality in education and the society.
[PDF] Examination Malpractice: Causes, Effects and Possible Ways of
The moral issues in the society and the quest for certificate in the face of poor academic performance has been identified as some of the major causes of examination malpractices in Nigeria. This paper reviewed the remote causes, the various types and forms of examination malpractice especially at the university level, its effects and possible ways of curbing the menace. The research findings ...
(Pdf) Trends of Examination Malpractices and The Roles of Examination
Oko and Adie (2016) identified some of the forms of examination malpractices as :-. Leakage :- this a situation where th e content or part of the examination is disclosed prior to. taking the ...
PDF Examination Malpractice: Causes, Effects and Possible Ways of Curbing
Examination malpractice is defined as any deliberate act of wrong doing, contrary to the rules of examinations designed to give a candidate an undue advantage. Examination malpractice also known ... All forms of communication during examination e.g passing or dropping papers and collecting or picking papers
Why Do Students Engage in Examination Malpractice? The University for
study well for the examination, so they indulge in examination malpractices. It was also found It was also found that 113 (40.6%) respondents and 115 (41.4%) respondents respectively strongly ...
Understanding what Examination Malpractice is and How to Avoid it
If you are late for your exam, this is not malpractice. If you are late, you must not go to the exam room; you must report immediately to the School's Examination Officer, and they will advise you of the next steps. ... For example, quoting from books or blogs on the internet, another student's essay, or artwork. Plagiarism is taken very ...
PDF Exploring Examination Malpractice Intention Among Undergraduates
Keywords: Examination Malpractice; Malpractice intention; Sorting; Undergraduates. INTRODUCTION Examination refers to the part of students' ... year 1914, when question papers for the senior Cambridge Local Examination leaked to candidates before the scheduled date and time of the examination (Anzene, 2014). However, the first major campaign ...
PDF AN INDEPTH EVALUATION ON THE ISSUE OF EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE IN ...
their academic worth. Examination malpractice in Nigeria is as old as the country itself According to (Anzene, 2014), examination malpractice was first reported in Nigeria in the year 1914, when the question papers of the Senior Cambridge Local Examinations were reportedly seen by candidates before the scheduled date of the examination.
PDF Examination Malpractice in Nigeria: Causes and Effects on National ...
journals and conference papers consulted, and the writers' personal experiences during examination invigilation were the sources of data used in the paper. It is discovered that the perennial lack of political will on the part of ... Examination Malpractice Act of 1999 should be amended to incorporate that section of Decree 20 of 1984 which
PDF The Perception and Reasons of Examination Malpractice among Students
On reasons why students engage in examination malpractice, majority of them (91.51%) gave the reason "to maintain the trust and investment my parents have made in me" to be the causative agent for engaging in malpractice. Withdrawal, rustications and imprisonment of culprits were some of the recommendations put forward by policy makers.
(PDF) The Role of Technology in Mitigation of Examination Malpractices
The scourge of examination malpractice has increasingly become a major source of concern to education authorities in most West African countries, particularly in Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Gambia. ... Institutional corruption has made a lot of officials to compromise examination papers for financial gains. Some have even formed syndicates with ...
PDF Examination Malpractices and Students Poor Performance
Examination malpractices are not a recent phenomenon in Nigeria or in any part of the world. It is as old as examination itself and no part of the world could be exempted. It includes any other illegal act which in the opinion of the authorities constitutes cheating. What perhaps seems new is the phenomenal increase in examination malpractices
7 Effects Of Examination Malpractices On Students
Malpractices in examination manifest as malpractice in teaching and learning. It is a deviation from the prescribed syllabus, lack of classroom discipline, absence of proper marking of answer scripts, leakages of question papers, and so on. The negative effects of examination malpractices on a student's academics are obvious and disastrous.
(PDF) Examination Malpractice: Causes, Effects and Possible Ways of
2. EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE Examination malpractice is defined as any deliberate act of wrong doing, contrary to the rules of examinations designed to give a candidate an undue advantage. Examination malpractice also known as cheating is the illegal action that students take during their examinations to try to make good grades by cutting corners.
Examination Malpractice in Nigeria: Causes and Effects on
Relevant journals and conference papers consulted, and the writers' personal experiences during examination invigilation were the sources of data used in the paper. ... This paper recommends strongly that the Examination Malpractice Act of 1999 should be amended to incorporate that section of Decree 20 of 1984 which stipulated twenty-one ...
(PDF) Examination malpractice: Threat to quality education
Examination. malpractice is undoubtedly a canker in the educational system of Ghana and examination. malpractices happen everywhere in the world irrespective of their kinds or nature. This is ...
Examination Malpractice: Causes, Effects, And Solutions
1. Fear of Failure. Many students engage in examination malpractices because they are afraid that they will fail the exams. When they should spend quality time reading their notes they are panicking about the examination. The fear of failure is one of the major causes of illegal acts in exams today. 2.
Examination malpractice in Ghanaian Schools: Evidence from 2018 to 2021
causes of examination malpractices . Many reasons for exam malpractice have been discovered via research. According to Tawiah, Alberta, Bossman, and Ata (2015), one of the reasons students are involved in examination fraud is the pressure to meet high parental demands for excellent results.
What is examination malpractice: causes, effects, and solutions in
The definition of examination malpractice is improper or illegal conduct by an examination candidate (examinee) with the intention of passing the examination. While some debate on examination malpractice as a result of inadequate preparation, others believe it is driven by the pressure to achieve high grades. Read also.
International Baccalaureate exams body to probe leaks after finding
Small number of pupils have engaged in 'time zone cheating' and practice not widespread, IB says, although Post finds papers downloaded over 45,000 times.
Pupils warned of punishment if they search for exam papers on ...
Ofqual data, released in December last year, showed that there were 4,895 cases of malpractice during GCSEs, AS and A-level examinations which included students in 2023, up from 4,105 in 2022.
In Medicine, the Morally Unthinkable Too Easily Comes to Seem Normal
Here is the way I remember it: The year is 1985, and a few medical students are gathered around an operating table where an anesthetized woman has been prepared for surgery.
Examinations' complexity 'll not allow easy migration to CBT
The Registrar, National Examinations Council (NECO), Prof. Ibrahim Wushishi says the complexity of its examinations may not allow for immediate migration from paper to Computer Based Test (CBT).
Strategies for curbing examination malpractices: Perspectives of
3.1. Perception of Teachers and Students concerning the Strategies Ado pted for Curbing Pre-Exam Misco nduct. The findings from the current study show that the strate gies adopted in curbing pre ...
NEET UG 2024 Paper Leak: Supreme Court Refuses Stay ...
New Delhi: The Supreme Court refused to grant a stay order on the results of National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) UG 2024. The court heard the plea requesting that the NEET UG 2024 exams be retaken in light of the alleged malpractices and paper leaks.. While hearing the plea, SC said, "We will schedule it for after the summer break, but we cannot stay the results of an all-India ...
NEET UG 2024: Supreme Court Denies Stay on Results Over Malpractice
The Supreme Court of India refused to postpone the results of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET UG) 2024 exam during its hearing on Friday according to a report by Live Law.
(PDF) CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF EXAMINATION MALPRACTICES ...
The study revealed that examination malpractices brings total loss of trust in the educational system, reduced enrolment of students in school, frequent cancellation of results, discourages good ...
PDF PRESS RELEASE 18 May 2024 Sub: NTA Declares the Final NTA Scores for
Examination on the ground. 02 National Coordinators, 18 Regional Coordinators, 291 City Coordinators, and approx. 583 Observers were positioned. Live CCTV Surveillance was planned in all examination centres to curb malpractices in the examination. The NTA also made arrangements for live viewing of remote locations of all