A Phenomenological Study on Academic Cheating behaviors Exhibited by Visually Impaired College Students

Abstract

Students with visual impairment are academically disadvantaged due to visual impairment that lets them indulge in academically dishonest behavior cheating. Academic cheating at the college level demolishes the personality and moral values of any individual. This study intended to explore academic cheating behavior in visually impaired students at the college level. This study was qualitative in approach and exploratory in nature. The sample of the study included 20 teachers working in colleges in the Lahore district that were selected from the larger group of the population for this study. A self-developed semi-structured interview was used as a tool for data collection. The validity of the instrument was assured by the experts' opinions related to the field of special education. The reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed through an extensive literature review and pilot testing. Data were analyzed through thematic analysis. Three major themes were drawn from the thematic analysis i.e, teachers’ perception of academic cheating, the nature of academic cheating, and remedies to eliminate academic cheating. The findings of the study revealed that the maximum number of respondents were females who reported that visually impaired students do cheating if they get the opportunity. Additionally, the majority of the respondents stated that visually impaired students are involved in various academic cheating styles due to prevalent corruption in society. The study recommended special moral training lectures by the veteran of motivation and counseling to visually impaired students at the college level periodically. Moreover, teachers at the college level should promote academic integrity in their respective classes.