GRAPH EXERCISE.

• Position: Students' opinons on cheating

What Is Cheating?

According to one study, 71 percent of high school students admit to having cheated on examinations at least once in the last year. But what constitutes cheating? How does one define the difference between serious cheating and behavior that may be questionable, but is not a serious violation of school rules and ethics? The graph below reports high school students' views of the seriousness of different academic shortcuts. Students were asked to rank examples from O--not serious--to 5--most serious. (The highest ranking was 3.9.)

Source: Student Cheating in High School: A Case of Moral Reasoning vs. "Fuzzy Logic," by Rose McLaughlin and Steven Ross, cited in a monograph, "Academic Practices, School Culture and Cheating Behavior," by Gary J. Niels.

1. Asking someone for a test answer.

2. Using old test papers that teacher provides as study guide.

3. Copying during an exam.

4. Getting answers from someone who has already taken the test.

5. Giving or receiving answers by signals.

6. Studying notes taken by someone else.

7. Looking at notes during a test.

8. Using old tests as a study guide.

9. Giving someone a test answer.

10. Copying someone else's homework or term paper.

11. Using memory devices, not written, as a test aid.

12. Writing a report for someone.

13. Allowing a fellow student to copy an answer.

14. Allowing someone to copy homework.

15. Copying answer left by mistake on chalkboard.

16. Finding exam in the trash and memorizing answers.

1. How many pairs of cheating offenses did students rank as equally serious?

2. Which two of these offenses did students rank as most serious?

3. Identify the response whose numerical rating falls between 1.6 and 2.1. What is the offense?

4. Which offense was considered more serious, finding an exam in the trash and memorizing answers, or getting answers from...