Secondary School Students’ Intention to Cheat and Willingness to Report Academic Cheating Incidents: Evidence from Eastern Ethiopia

Abstract

The growing recognition of academic dishonesty as a major cross-cultural problem urges educators and researchers to examine various aspects of the issue. This qualitative case study examined secondary school students’ intention to cheat and willingness to report observed academic cheating incidents. The participants comprised 20 students randomly selected from public and private secondary schools. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews. We found that the participants had strong intentions to engage in academic cheating activities. They indicated that their desire to cheat was caused by observing their classmates’ cheating activities. Moreover, most of the participants were tolerant of academic misconduct. They preferred not to report observed academic cheating incidents. It is recommended that schools must work on students’ minds in such a way that it helps them to value academic integrity and honesty.