Cheating is highly prohibited; unfortunately, students assume that the result is what matters.nocheating.org carried out a study on academic cheating, and the results were quite surprising. Cheating has sporadically risen over the past century for reasons including increased pressure for admission into school, a focus on result over quality learning, the decline in the stigma attached to cheating, and the “the end justifies the means” factor.

• Students get encouraged to cheat because their honest effort does not get good grades like the cheaters. 
• Employing technology in the classroom makes cheating easy. 
• Emphasis on good grades leads to a simultaneous increase in cheating. 
• The penalties for cheating are not grievous.

Are there measures to address cheating concerns and discourage its occurrences? Yes, there are. Consider adopting these:

Regularly emphasize the culture of responsibility, respect, fairness, trustworthiness, and honesty in the classroom. A teacher should model honesty for students—admitting one’s wrong and taking responsibility. Frequently, students find no adult models who honestly take responsibility when they should. Be appropriately fair in relating with students, and exemplify trustworthiness by honoring your promises.

Qualities like hard work, persistence in the face of difficulty, progress in skills, courage, and respect for classmates should be rewarded. While grades are essential, prioritize these characteristics in students.

Enforce the consequences of cheating without fear or favor. Discuss lessons learned and how to avoid a repeat of the same mistake. Celebrate students who make difficult but excellent choices.

Help students develop self-esteem. Helping students to believe in themselves is not in words but requires attentiveness and observance from the teacher. A few ways a teacher achieve this for students include:

Point out and celebrate them when they accomplish goals they previously could. For example, if you have been teaching an essay format for the SAT/ACT and the students have made significant progress, pass positive verbal and nonverbal commendations.

Partner with parents to strengthen the “You can do this!” belief. A study of Chinese students and self-efficacy found that “positive feedback led to an increase in self-efficacy with the mother’s positive feedback leading to a higher increase in self-efficacy than feedback from the teacher and the father.”

Plan discussions around the qualities of integrity, honesty, hard work, and persistence. The following are some quotes to help you get started.  

The unfortunate truth is that cheating does not end at graduation; it becomes a problem in different aspects of life. As a teacher, you are empowered to make your students’ future better through teaching the value of integrity.