Examination Malpractices in Schools: Views from Secondary School Students in the Harare Region of Education: Zimbabwe

Abstract

Cheating in examinations in Zimbabwe's education system has lately been widely reported in the media. This is a problem that is a disgrace not only for the culprit but also a reflection of similar levels of immorality in the wider society. This study set to find out from students, who themselves are part of the problem, their views on the nature of, the extent of and motives for malpractice in their schoolwork. The study, which used a qualitative design, collected views from 460 students sampled from a population of 3 540 students from five high schools in Harare. Questionnaires consisting of both closed and open-ended questions were used to collect data. Information from the analysed data revealed that students are involved in cheating not only in examinations but also in their everyday class work. To some extent teachers and other interested groups were implicated in this problem. Cheating is done for a variety of reasons and takes different forms. The many suggested solutions provided by the students themselves in this study should be treated as useful guidelines to some serious approaches in trying to deal with the problem if it is to be controlled.