Factors Affecting Cheating Behavior at Quetta-Pakistan

Abstract

Cheating in examinations across the globe is an issue of growing concern. This study argues that the culture of cheating in exams in Balochistan has reduced the efficiency of human resource and has resulted in producing students with high qualifications but less potential in the province. Therefore, it is very important to explore the factors contributing to cheating in exams and to suggest a course of action to mitigate the menace it poses. A quantitative research method was employed for this study. Similarly, statistical techniques such as correlation and logistic regression were conducted for statistical analysis and explanation of the study using SPSS. Theoretically, the study is inspired by rational choice theory. The findings of the study show a significant relationship between personal, institutional, and situational factors. Personal factors that contribute to cheating were found to be students' desire to excel, low GPA, and slow learning. Institutional factors include the weak administrative role of institutions, poor academic policies, overload on students, and weak performance of the teachers. Situational factors such as the poor management strategy of the examiner, time pressure, and technological tools were found to be instigating students towards cheating. The study suggests that an appropriate exam hall setting, effective monitoring, concept-oriented exams, and a strong honor code can decrease cheating.

Full text

139Vol. 10 No. 1 (June 2023)
Article
Journal of Education and Educational Development
10(1), 139-159, 2023
http://dx.doi.org/10.22555/joeed.v10i1.764
 FactorsAectingCheatingBehavioratQuetta-Pakistan
Muneeb Ur Rahman1, Aadersh Hamza2, Abdul Rehman3
1,2,3 Balochistan Think Tank Network (BTTN) at BUITEMS
Airport Road, Baleli, Quetta – Pakistan
1muneebnasar@yahoo.com
2hamzaaadersh@yahoo.com
3rehmanbazai@gmail.com
Abstract
Cheating in examinations across the globe is an issue of growing concern. This
study argues that the culture of cheating in exams in Balochistan has reduced the
eciency of human resource and has resulted in producing students with high
qualications but less potential in the province. Therefore, it is very important
to explore the factors contributing to cheating in exams and to suggest a course
of action to mitigate the menace it poses. A quantitative research method was
employed for this study. Similarly, statistical techniques such as correlation and
logistic regression were conducted for statistical analysis and explanation of the
study using SPSS. Theoretically, the study is inspired by rational choice theory. The
ndings of the study show a signicant relationship between personal, institutional,
and situational factors. Personal factors that contribute to cheating were found to be
students’ desire to excel, low GPA, and slow learning. Institutional factors include
the weak administrative role of institutions, poor academic policies, overload on
students, and weak performance of the teachers. Situational factors such as the
poor management strategy of the examiner, time pressure, and technological tools
were found to be instigating students towards cheating. The study suggests that an
appropriate exam hall setting, eective monitoring, concept-oriented exams, and a
strong honor code can decrease cheating.
Keywords: cheating, education, students, teachers, classroom, Balochistan.

Factors Aecting Cheating Behavior
Vol. 10 No. 1 (June 2023)140
Introduction
SocioeconomicOverviewofBalochistan
Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan by area and covers about 44%
of the total area of Pakistan. The population density of Balochistan is very low due
to the mountainous area, which is mainly dry with a signicant lack of water, which
makes human survival dicult. The major languages of the province are Balochi,
Brahui, Urdu, and Pashto. The temperature in the mountainous areas is very cold,
and in the desert areas, it is very warm. Very little infrastructure development work
has been done in the various sectors of the province. The economy of the province
is mostly dependent upon natural resources like coal, minerals, and natural gas. On
the other side livestock, shing, and partial agriculture farming are also counted as
signicant sources of income for the local people.
EducationalScenarioofBalochistan
Education plays a very important role in the formation of human capital.
It produces skilled human resource and raises the eciency and productivity of
individuals. According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 1973
Constitution of Pakistan, every citizen has the right to education, and it is considered
a basic human right. Article 25A of the 1973 constitution of the Islamic Republic
of Pakistan says “The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all
children of the age of ve to sixteen years in such a manner as may be determined
by law”. Ensuring education for all children without any discrimination is the social
and constitutional responsibility of the state. However, after the 18th amendment,
education comes under the domain of the provinces. When it comes to the state of
education in Balochistan, this province paints a very dismal image.
Low enrolments, high gender disparity, and high dropouts rates are some of
the primary challenges the education department of the province is facing (Pakistan
Bureau of Statistics, 2020). In addition, the educational sector of Balochistan is also
suering from poor quality of teaching, management, implementation of policies,
supervision, and an insucient educational budget. The infrastructure of educational
institutions in the province is also the poorest in the country. The reports show that
Balochistan is among the regions needing the highest percentage of major changes
to its educational institutions. As a result, Balochistan has the lowest literacy rate in
the country among all other provinces of the country (Pakistan Bureau of Statistics,
2021).

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Rahman, Hamza & Rehman
DeningCheating
Based on cultural background, students have dierent concepts and
denitions of academic cheating around the globe (Hu & Lei, 2015). Although
there is no universal denition of academic cheating, many researchers have agreed
that cheating consists of actions that disrupt the rules for managing exams and
involves any conduct that provides an unfair gain to the students (Cizek, 2004)
detect, and discourage cheating, this resource will aid in achieving more accurate
assessments, which are important in the current accountability-driven educational
climate. Highlights of the book include high-tech sources that aid students in
cheating and plagiarizing, or aid educators in combating the problem; characteristics
of students and classrooms associated with cheating; simple classroom changes
that can prevent cheating; and specic techniques for responding to cheating. K-12
teachers, principals, school board members, and policymakers may benet from the
suggestions and approach oered in this source on cheating. (PsycINFO Database
Record (c. This study denes academic cheating as a conscious eort to use banned
information in exams for educational credit. Academic cheating is a widespread
phenomenon across all educational institutions almost at all levels of studies. It
is not possible to present the exact data for the frequency of cheating in exams
in dierent educational institutions due to the gaps during the investigation of
such phenomenon. However, many research studies have conrmed that academic
cheating has been on the rise at universities, colleges, and schools in previous years
(Turner & Beemsterboer, 2003).
CheatinginExaminationsinBalochistan
Apart from other issues, one major cause behind the failure of the educational
system in Balochistan is cheating in examinations. Students from school to college
and even at the university level have become habitual in cheating to avoid failing
courses (Iqbal et al., 2021). Cheating in examinations, especially in board exams,
has become a regular practice, particularly in Balochistan. Some common cheating
practices include leaking question papers, carrying copied material into exam halls,
providing cheating material by the helpers gathered outside the exam hall, using
mobile phones for cheating, and hiring someone to take an exam in the place of the
original candidate (Khan et al., 2022). Another common practice being witnessed is
that sometimes teachers themselves are also found involved in providing cheating
material to students during exams.

Factors Aecting Cheating Behavior
Vol. 10 No. 1 (June 2023)142
Cheating is considered to be wrong because a cheater receives undeserved
high grades which is unfair to those who do not cheat. This also gives them an
unfair benet over all other students (Makridis & Englander, 2021). Besides that,
students graduating from educational institutions are the country’s future leaders. If
the students at the campus cheat and can get away with it, the province would have
a human resource with good qualications but less potential. If academic cheating
continues to be prevalent and acceptable, then assessment tests will not remain
as a measuring method of student’s achievements and skills but would only serve
as means of checking students` cheating skills (Bouville, 2009). The education
department of Balochistan in the last few years is running a media campaign to curb
academic cheating in exams. The awareness slogans include “cheating is the death
of merit,” and “cheating is the death of knowledge” (PPIU, SED, 2020). Although
some faculty members of academic institutions and the education department
of Balochistan look concerned about cheating, no such steps have been taken to
control it. So, there is a need to ght against the culture of academic cheating, and
the educational administration in this regard should devote increased resources to
deal with this issue and develop a mechanism to manage and curtail the level of
academic cheating. Controlling academic cheating is not a herculean task (Forsha,
2021). There are exams in the country such as CSS/PMS, where cheating is almost
impossible. So, it requires sincere and strong interventions from all stakeholders of
the province to curb academic cheating.
Cheating in exams is a rising issue of great concern worldwide (Harper et
al., 2020). On the one side, the cheater gets higher marks than what he/she may
deserve while on the other hand, it reduces the eciency of human resources and
educational institutions. In addition, students who cheat would not learn what they
are required to learn (Colnerud & Rosander, 2009). A university’s or college`s
basic aim is to transfer knowledge to students but cheating prevents students from
acquiring the knowledge and skills for which the degrees and courses are designed
(Malesky et al., 2021). Furthermore, it also stops students from engaging in moral
and intellectual struggles for their personal growth and development. Besides that,
students graduating from educational institutions are the country’s future leaders,
and studies have found that students who cheat in college and university go on to
cheat in professional life and are found involved in unethical practices (Whitley &
Spiegel, 2021).

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Rahman, Hamza & Rehman
The implementation of educational and ethical standards is essential for
achieving quality education. Especially regarding holding students accountable for
the information and knowledge they are required to learn. This requires a closer
look at the process of assessment, especially the examination process. It is no
secret that students in the country at large often rely on dubious methods to pass
their examinations or to get higher scores. Massive academic cheating has been
reported at all educational levels in educational institutions in Balochistan (Ahmed
& Baloch, 2017). As this issue has not been managed eectively in the province.
It is one of the major factors reducing eciency and quality in the educational
institutions of the province (Ahmad, 2022). This study argues that the culture of
academic cheating in Balochistan has reduced the eciency of human resource and
has resulted in students with high qualications but less potential in the province.
Therefore, it is very important to explore the factors contributing to academic
cheating in exams and to suggest a course of action to mitigate the menace it poses.
ResearchQuestions
This Research study proposes the following research question:
1. What are the institutional factors that contribute to academic cheating?
2. What are the personal factors that contribute to academic cheating?
3. What are the situational factors that contribute to academic cheating?
4. How academic cheating can be minimized?
Literature Review
Cheating is considered an immoral practice to learn in the educational
environment. Studies have investigated that cheating was very common during
the ancient Chinese civil exams. The candidates found with crib notes used to be
limited to the individual halls to avoid collaboration (Whitley, 1998). A common
perception of academic sta about cheating is that it is dicult to identify who
cheats, which is why most of the time cheating in exams goes undetected (Denisova-
Schmidt, 2020). Academic misconduct is unfavorable to educational institutions
because it has negative impacts on students, faculty, and administration. Academic
misconduct leads to a loss of integrity within the institution and students have
less respect for ethics and values. In addition, faculty members fail to produce

Factors Aecting Cheating Behavior
Vol. 10 No. 1 (June 2023)144
institutional leadership across campus (Simpson, 2016). A review of the literature
shows that academic cheating is a context–related term, and there is no generally
accepted denition of academic cheating. Studies conducted to see students’
behavior toward academic misconduct show that dierent cultures and dierent
nationalities have dierent perceptions of cheating (Lim & See, 2001). Given the
context, the following section will discuss some of the factors that contribute to and
motivate students toward academic cheating in exams.
DemographicFactors
The dependent variables for academic misconduct can be gender, age,
socio-cultural background, parents’ education (Awdry & Ives, 2022) religious
practices, grades of students, types of educational institutions, cheating experience,
the workload of students, the attitude of peers towards academic misconduct, size
of exam rooms, competition between class fellows and residence of the students.
These variables can have a positive or negative eect on the behavior of students
toward academic cheating (Desalegn & Berhan, 2014). A study carried out in
Tehran to investigate the factors aecting the probability of academic dishonesty
of students shows that socioeconomic status, discipline, and rules are closely
related to cheating in exams. Parents’ education, age, and educational level are the
signicant factors that motivate cheating in exams. The study explores that around
95.6 percent of students have admitted to being involved in academic dishonesty
once every academic year (Khodaie et al., 2011).
The studies to see the impact of age on academic cheating to a great extent
support the idea that age is a very important predictor of cheating. Studies have
conrmed through research that the rate of cheating among juvenile students is
higher than that of older (Sheard et al., 2010). A relationship between marital status
and age has also been found and research suggests that the number of young and
unmarried cheating students is higher than those of married and adults (Klein et al.,
2006). A study conducted by Bushway and Nash (1977) found that the number of
females involved in academic cheating is less than that of males. Interestingly, the
new study to see gender-based dierences shows that fewer males and more females
confess to academic cheating (Tibbetts & Myers, 1999). In addition, a recent study
conducted by Kayışoğlu and Temel (2017) suggests that cheating did not aect the
altitudinal tendencies of the student’s gender (Kayışoğlu & Temel, 2017). Results
of some studies show that though academic dishonesty is insidious, many students

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Rahman, Hamza & Rehman
confess it as usual behavior. The researchers have also stated that students from
the higher class cheat less than students from the lower class (Ramberg & Modin,
2019).
Motivational Factors
A review of the literature shows that students with low grades or average
grades cheat more than those with high grades (Alsuwaileh et al., 2016). The
researchers have also found that students cheat more when they see their peers
cheating and not getting punished. While, in comparison to this, cheating is less
in those educational institutions where there are strong honor codes for academic
cheating. The research has suggested that strong honor codes have a positive role in
controlling academic cheating, and through honor codes, academic cheating can be
decreased (Raman & Ramlogan, 2020). The other ndings show that students also
cheat more when the assigned work to them is boring or inappropriate. In addition,
when students perceive that the purpose and aim of learning is to get higher grades
then they cheat more commonly. And when the instructor emphasizes high grades
and values academic performance, cheating directly increases (Diego, 2017).
AcademicCheatingandTechnology
“E-cheating” is a term that is currently used to describe the violation of
academic honesty through the use of new technological tools. In recent years,
many modern technological devices have been produced that can help students to
cheat in academic exams (Holden et al., 2021). Many educationalists have earlier
suggested that modern computer technology would work as a catalyst for cheating
practices in exams. A survey shows that computer technology has increased
academic dishonesty four times over the past ve years. Other reviews show that
information technology has made cheating much easier, and cheating increases
when opportunities are improved (Sayed & Lento, 2015). Furthermore, wearable
technology devices such as smartwatches, Bluetooth earpieces, and smart glasses
have made academic cheating more problematic ( Lancaster & Clarke, 2017). It has
also been found that in elite schools, students cheat more in writing assignments
while in local schools, more cheating in exams has been reported (Shrader et al.,
2012).

Factors Aecting Cheating Behavior
Vol. 10 No. 1 (June 2023)146
MethodsofCheating
Many studies have investigated the traditional methods of academic
misconduct and plagiarism like cheat sheets, submitting others’ work, teamwork
on assignments that are assigned to be worked on individually, and whispering in
exam rooms (Parnther, 2020). Other traditional ways used by students to cheat in
exams include writing answers on water bottles, body parts, and clothes, and the
use of signs and code languages (Parks-Leduc et al., 2021).
TheoreticalFramework
A review of the literature shows competing theoretical frameworks used
by researchers investigating dierent aspects of academic cheating in exams.
These frameworks include deterrence theory, rational choice theory, social learning
theory, and neutralization theory (Madara et al., 2016). On the other side, a number
of studies have not utilized any explicit theoretical framework. This study is
inspired by the Rational Choice Theory because this is very appropriate in terms of
investigating the contributing factors to academic cheating in exams. See (Sattler
et al., 2013; Simkin & McLeod, 2009). Researchers have applied rational choice
theory in a variety of areas, including sociology, psychology, philosophy, and
international relations. According to the theory, people weigh their choices and
make the choice that they think will assist the best in their interest (DiPietro, 2010).
The assumption of rational choice theory can be used in a wide range of contexts,
including the behavior of individuals. The rational choice theory views dishonest
behavior as a rational being decision. The nal decision is chosen after weighing
the benet, risks, and eort that is associated with a particular behavior (Ogilvie
& Stewart, 2010). So, the decision to cheat in an exam is based on cost–benet
analysis. This includes less eort in cheating rather than studying. Other benets
may include increasing the marks and grades in less time as compared to spending
time completing these academic tasks the other way. The fear of punishment and
the severity of being caught is also correlated with academic cheating. Academic
cheating in this regard is not an unintentional behavior instead it is a pre-planned
calculated behavior (Simkin & McLeod, 2009). The rational choice theory assumes
that individuals rationally calculate the benet and costs of their behavior in a given
situation (Ogilvie & Stewart, 2010). The result of this study suggests that rational
choice theory had great potential for explaining academic cheating. The ndings
also conrm the previous studies e.g., (Simkin & McLeod, 2009) where students

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Rahman, Hamza & Rehman
of educational institutions were found involved in academic cheating because
the relative benet is greater than the cost. This also shows that many students
could be involved in academic cheating simply because the severity of sanctions
is low compared to the benet that could be gained. Sattler et al. (2013) also found
that when the benet of dishonest academic practices exceeds the sanctions, the
practices continue.
Methodology
Quantitative research design approaches social phenomenon through
quantiable evidence and relies on a statistical analysis of many cases to create valid
and reliable general claims. In this research, quantitative research technique was
used. A designed self-reported, close-ended questionnaire consisting of 52 items
was used for this study. Using construct reliability that is >.70 (Cronbach, 1951) as
used to evaluate the internal reliability of the measures. Out of all 4 constructs, 2
were found to possess an excellent CR value. The remaining 2 were found fullling
the average CR values. See Table 4.2 for the specic items, and reliability measures
(Cronbach’s α). Before collecting the large-scale data, the questionnaire was pre-
tested on 20 respondents from Balochistan Think Tank Network (BTTN) at Quetta.
The excessive 4 items were removed, while some vague words were replaced by
simple and easy ones in the questionnaire. Questions were formulated according to
requirements and relevance to the research objectives.
The responses were measured on a 5-point Likert scale (1= Strongly disagree
to 5= Strongly agree). After reading the consent form, respondents were asked to
click up to what extent do you agree or disagree with the statements. Participants
then completed the constructs. The total sample size was 250 respondents, who were
selected randomly. Initially, 300 questionnaires were distributed, out of which 275
were received. After data cleaning, 250 respondents’ data was entered into SPSS
for further processing. Data was collected from two universities and two colleges
of the capital city Quetta namely the University of Balochistan (UoB), Balochistan
University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences
(BUITEMS), Balochistan Agriculture College, and University Law College.
Using excel, the average of all 4 variables, i.e., institutional factors (IF),
situational factors (SF), personal factors (PF), and controlling factors (CF) were
calculated separately, and then a combined average was calculated. The combined

Factors Aecting Cheating Behavior
Vol. 10 No. 1 (June 2023)148
average (3.5886) was considered a mid-point. The values above the mid-point
were assigned value 2 and below as value 1. This resulted in a dependent variable,
academic cheating (AC). Correlation and logistic regression were used for the
statistical analysis of the data.
Results
Table4.1
Demographic Distribution of Respondents
Category Frequency (f) Mean Percentage(%)
Age (In completeyears)
17-20 84 33.6%
21-24 142 21.48 26.4%
25-33 25 64.4%
Gender
Male 180 72.0%
Female 70 1.28 28.0%
Respondents Father`s
Education
Illiterate 49 19.6%
Primary 14 5.6%
Matriculation 35 14.5%
Intermediate 31 11.30 12.4%
Graduation 32 12.8%
Master 89 35.6%
Monthly family income
10000-50000 140 56%
50001-100000 85 62436.00 34%
100001-250000 25 10%
f=number of students, %= percentage
Table 4.1 reveals the socio-demographic characteristics of respondents.
Out of the total, the majority of the respondents (64.4%) were from the age group
category 25-33. All of the respondents of the data were above 17 years of age
and below 33 years. The participation of male respondents was higher (72.0%)
than female respondents. Data further explains that almost one-third (33%) of the
respondent’s monthly family income was within the category between ten thousand

Vol. 10 No. 1 (June 2023) 149
Rahman, Hamza & Rehman
and two hundred fty thousand PKR (10000–250000 PKR), which represents
lower-middle-income families.
Table4.2
Correlation Metrix
Variable(s) IF SF PF CF
IF --
SF 0.486** --
PF 0.311** 0.520** --
CF 0.489** 0.507** 0.361** --
No. of Observations. 250 250 250 250
Note: ** indicates signicant correlation at 0.01 level.
The data in the above table shows that there is a signicant correlation
between situational factors and institutional factors. It indicates that an increase
in institutional factors is positively associated with situational factors, hence, they
have a positive correlation with a coecient of 0.486. Furthermore, the correlation
between personal factors and institutional factors is 0.311, while the correlation
between controlling factors and institutional factors is 0.489. Similarly, the
results further reveal that all four variables of the study have a signicant positive
correlation with each other.
Table4.2
Reliability Test
Scale Name Number of items Cronbach’sAlphaα
Insti t u t iona l F a c tors 8 .711
Situational Factors 10 .644
Personal Factors 6 .745
Controlling Factors 7 .691

Factors Aecting Cheating Behavior
Vol. 10 No. 1 (June 2023)150
Table4.3
Tests of Normality
Kolmogorov-Smirnova Shapiro-Wilk
Statistic df Sig. Statistic df Sig.
IF .102 250 .000 .956 250 .000
SF .079 250 .001 .970 250 .000
PF .090 250 .000 .976 250 .000
CF .119 250 .000 .959 250 .000
a. Lilliefors Signicance Correction
H0: Data is normal
H1: Data is not normal
If the P score is less than or equal to 0.05, we reject Ho.
Statistics is 0.102, and the corresponding p-value is (0.000), hence the
value of probability is less than 0.05. Therefore, we reject Ho, and conclude data
is not normal. So, linear regression analysis cannot be used. Since the dependent
variables are categorical, so applying linear or other forms of regression analysis
may mislead, therefore, applying logistic regression is the right choice.
Table4.3
Logistic Regression
VariablesintheEquation Coecient Standard
Errors
Wald
statistics P-values Exp(B)
Step 1a
IF 2.585 .543 22.680 .000 13.259
SF 2.979 .606 24.171 .000 19.661
PF 2.126 .392 29.419 .000 8.384
CF 0.979 .423 5.348 .021 2.661
Constant -32.795 4.722 48.229 0.000 .000
a. Variable(s) entered on step 1: IF, SF, PF, CF.
Discussion
The results of logistic linear regression analysis in this study reported a
statistically signicant relationship between academic cheating and institutional
factors. Data reveals that institutional factors contribute about 2.585 units in
academic cheating. These factors include poor academic policies and practices at

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Rahman, Hamza & Rehman
educational institutions such as untimely completion of courses, overburdening
the students, and irresponsibility of teachers, who do not teach eciently to the
students. Teachers’ weak performance in class was also found as a contributing
factor to academic cheating. Furthermore, students also claimed that cheating
aects the faculty’s reputation, and sometimes faculty members are also found
involved in assisting students in academic cheating. This disrupts the mission of
quality education by educational institutions altogether.
Moreover, situational factors contribute about 2.979 units in academic
cheating. The result shows that the probability of cheating is higher in large and
crowded examination halls. On the other hand, cheating is lower in small size
exam halls and institutions where academic honesty has great value. Further results
suggest that students with religious backgrounds and students of educated parents
cheat less in exams. On the other hand, teachers occasionally use dierent kinds
of measures to deal with cheating methods invented by students. The result reveals
that the poor management strategy of the examiner also motivates students to cheat
in exams. Orosz et al. (2013)M = 264, F = 356in their study found that the struggle
for good grades and external inspiration in Hungarian schools are not positively
correlated. However, this study found that students cheat for higher grades in
exams in Balochistan. The justication is that cheating will be considered favorable
and probably be powerful until grades decide how good a student is and predicts
the future success of a student (Bouville, 2009). Results have found some other
factors that can inuence cheating behavior. These factors include time pressure
and technological tools that have enhanced the cheating ratio in exams.
Personal factors contribute 2.126 units in academic cheating. The study
reveals that slow learner students and students with low GPAs cheat more frequently
in exams. Roig (2017) in his study also found that students of undergraduate degree
level with low GPAs cheat more frequently as compared to their peers with higher
GPAs. Several other studies have also found cheating behavior positively correlated
with low GPA (Jackson et al., 2002). The desire to outshine was also found one of
the contributing factors to academic cheating. Whitley (1998) also found the desire
to maintain a high GPA as a signicant factor in academic cheating. On the other
hand, young students, with the habit of last night preparation for exams were found
more motivated to academic cheating as compared to adults.

Factors Aecting Cheating Behavior
Vol. 10 No. 1 (June 2023)152
Furthermore, controlling factors contribute a little less than one (0.979)
unit in academic cheating. The result shows that an appropriate exam hall setting,
eective monitoring, and a strong student code of conduct can decrease cheating.
The researchers have also found that students cheat more when they see their peers
cheating and not getting punished. On the other hand, compared to this, cheating is
less in those educational institutions where there are strong honor codes for academic
cheating. The research has suggested that strong honor codes have a positive role
in controlling academic cheating, and through honor codes, academic cheating can
be decreased (McCabe et al., 2010). The present study also found that concept-
oriented tests and exams can decrease academic cheating. Also see (Kerkvliet &
Sigmund, 1999). Further ndings suggest that a participatory learning environment
in the class and the promotion of anti-cheating attitudes and awareness may also
decrease academic cheating in exams.
Limitations
This study has some limitations, including generalizability; in addition,
there was a gender imbalance in the samples as the number of male respondents was
higher than the number of female participants in the study. Similarly, the majority
of respondents were from the same age group which may have aected the results.
The data were collected from two universities and two colleges in Quetta, the
capital of Balochistan, unequally, which may also have aected the study. Though
respondents were recruited through random sampling, students had to divulge their
opinion about academic cheating which is a personal and sensitive aspect of the
study and may have inuenced the study.
Conclusion
To conclude, this study examined the contributing factors of cheating in
examinations in Balochistan. The factors that contribute to cheating were divided
into four categories. i.e., institutional factors, personal factors, situational factors,
and controlling factors. Results reveal a statistically signicant relationship between
academic cheating, institutional factors, personal factors, situational factors, and
controlling factors. These factors include poor academic policies and practices at
educational institutions such as untimely completion of courses, overburdening the
students, teachers’ weak performance in class, and irresponsibility of teachers in
the shape of inecient teaching.

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Situational factors that contribute to academic cheating include large and
crowded examination halls, poor management strategy, and less value for academic
honesty. Further results suggest that students with religious backgrounds and
students of educated parents cheat less in exams. The study reveals that personal
factors such as slow learner students and students with low GPAs cheat more
frequently in exams. Furthermore, the desire to outshine, time pressure, and the
habit of last night’s preparation for exams were also found contributing factors in
academic cheating.
In addition, controlling factors that can help in minimizing academic
cheating include appropriate exam hall settings, eective monitoring, and a strong
code of conduct. The research has suggested that strong honor codes have a positive
role in controlling academic cheating, and through honor codes, academic cheating
can be decreased Also see (McCabe et al., 2010). The present study also found that
concept-oriented tests and exams can decrease academic cheating. Further ndings
suggest that a participatory learning environment in the class and the promotion
of anti-cheating attitudes and awareness may also decrease academic cheating in
exams.
Recommendations
This research stresses the importance of policies on academic misconduct
or honor codes for every educational institution. Based on the ndings of this study
and an extensive literature review, the following are some of the suggestions to curb
academic cheating in exams:
1. Literature highlights that not only should there be focus on students who
indulge in academic cheating, but attention should be directed toward
knowing the reasons behind the decision to cheat. We should help students
to do their work within the given framework of learning. We need to teach
students that by passing through cheating and plagiarism they are decreasing
the opportunities for their progress (Hurst et al., 2017). We need to focus
on changing the values and attitudes of students so that they refrain from
cheating. If the above-recommended actions are not taken, cheating will
be considered favorable and probably be powerful until grades decide how
good a student is and predict the future success of a student (Raman &
Ramlogan, 2020).

Factors Aecting Cheating Behavior
Vol. 10 No. 1 (June 2023)154
2. Educational institutions should introduce strict administrative policies
regarding academic cheating because the problem can be better managed
through the formation of clear guidelines about academic cheating.
Literature indicates that a large number of educational institutions have
introduced honor codes to deal with the problem of academic cheating which
has played a signicant role in controlling academic cheating. However, all
educational institutions need to focus on the matter, to cope with the issue
of academic cheating (McCabe et al., 2010).
3. Only warnings, the threat of failing the exam, and routine punishments may
not help in hindering academic cheating. There is a need to set high penalties
for those caught cheating in exams. i.e., failing the exam. When those
students who work hard and do their work honestly see this phenomenon
that cheaters are not punished, so somehow, they also convince themselves
to take advantage of the opportunity and cheat in exams. Nazir and Aslam
( 2010) in their study also found that the practice of less severe punishment
and no punishment in educational institutions is one of the many factors that
motivate students towards academic cheating in exams.
4. It is also very important to ensure the presence and performance of teachers
in class. If teachers are missing in most of the classes and they don’t
complete teaching the courses on time, then their students will exploit and
nd excuses for cheating.
5. Examiners should set the exam/test avoiding the same style of tests and
repeating questions every semester. The instructor should change at least
80% of previous exam questions.
6. Furthermore, introducing conceptual tests can also decrease cheating.
Randomly presenting multiple choice questions so that every student gets a
dierent answer sequence may also help in reducing academic cheating in
exam hall (Harper et al., 2020).
7. In addition to the aforementioned suggestions, condent faculty supervision,
monitoring along with awareness strategies could also help in reducing
academic cheating.

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Rahman, Hamza & Rehman
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