Cheating Population

• Currently, cheating occurs among both students that struggle academically and those that have above average grades. It occurs most often in high school but can continue when a student is in college. In most cases, other students know of the cheating, and do not think about it negatively. In fact, when cheating occurs in high school or college, it is less likely to be reported than in grade school. Prior to the 1950's only about 20 percent of students would ever admit to cheating but current percentage rates are much higher. In some schools as much as 75 to 90 percent of students admit to cheating at some point in their student life.
  
  

Reasons

• Cheating is a way of earning a higher grade, and most students seeking a higher education need to rank in the top percentile of the school population when it comes to grades. Excellent grades mean a student will get better college offers, and ultimately better work opportunities. This makes students feel pressured to make those higher grades, thereby making cheating a means to an end.
  
  

Ease

• Computer technology has made it easier to cheat. Term papers or math and science projects can easily be bought and printed from your home computer. Cheating of this type usually begins in grade school or middle school when students begin to copy and paste information for a research paper or analysis. Because it is so easy to do, almost 9 out of 10 high school students admit to having cheated in this way at some point.
  
  

Course Work

• Cheating occurs more often in difficult courses like math and science. The objective in cheating is getting a higher grade, even if knowledge in the area is not acquired. In college it occurs more often in difficult careers dealing with engineering, math and sciences.