Examination malpractice has for long being a can of worm eating the education system and the life of Nigerian youths. There are lots of intellectual works on the matter with recommendations which are not usually take serious by the Stakeholders.
In the recent time our analyst was opportuned to lay his hand on a project work done by an HND student of Federal School of Statistics, Ibadan campus. While going through the work, our analyst developed interest in reviewing the work and this peice contains his reviewed fashion of the project and we are anticipating to see the work published in a recognized journal.
The research work titled Statistical analysis of causes and effects of examination malpractice in Nigeria was done by Miss Alagbada A. A as one of the task to be fulfilled to be awarded higher national diploma in statistics in the school. The researcher used university of Ibadan as case study and used a structured questionnaire as research tool to collect data from a randomly selected sample of UI Students. The researsher who used frequency, percentage and charts to appropriately present her data discovered the items of the questionnaire which was later grouped into four variables as Student Personal Factor (SPF), Technology/Parent Factor (TPF), Systematic Factor (SF) and Social Behaviour Factor (SBF) have influence on examination malpractice. Meanwhile, about 84% of the participants are aware of the subject matter, this make them qualified as participants in the research.
SPF which have four items that contribute to the incidence of examination malpractices are shown in probe 1 below with their individual strength as veiwed by the participants.
Probe 1: Effect of Student Personal Factors as causes of examination malpractice.
Source: Researcher's field work, FreshtouStat 2021
Students Unseriousness is highly responsible for examination malpractices as most students would have wasted their time unprepared before examination and will see malpractice as their rescue, the same trend with laziness and peer pressure while Psychological state of student which have the lowest percentage among the set may be the effect of negative side of Students' social life, family issues, examination anxiety, fear for lecturers or a particular course. Hence, the combination effect of these four factors make SPF contribute more than a quarter (25.8%) of the occurrence of examination malpractices. One can therefore say not less than one out of every four incidence of examination malpractice are caused by the culprit's personal factors. It is therefore from our analyst observation that one out of four occurrence of examination malpractice can be curb if Students' readiness and dedication toward education improves likewise their concuousness toward peers.
Technology improvement which supposed to enhance Student's learning ability and promote their inquisitive behaviour was discovered to have been another inlet to examination malpractice as not less that 82% of the participants in the researsher's field work believe that technology has it's own put in malpractices in Nigeria. Our analyst look into this in two ways, firstly, perhaps most students are not using technology for educative purposes but for social and entertaining purposes which will waste their useful times they would have used Studying and paying attention to lecturers and at the end engaged in malpractice as the only existing rescue. And secondly, perhaps technology is directly used in examination malpractices been a means which provides and connects them to different methods they can use in cheating and provides platforms whereby students exchange ideas on any topics of choice without boundary limitations. Technology which is percived to be a tool which makes all aspects of life easier and possible is found here to be a machinery in examination malpractices, this may cause draw back in the adoption of technology by people, most especially in the education sector. But our analyst is of view that technology adoption should not be based on the negative effect or misused of some students. But parents, guidances and institutions should work on the provision of mechanisms for monitoring and limiting student engagements with technology.
Unfortunately, parents which is one of the recommended stakeholders in monitoring students activities in technology world is the second item in TPF which contribute to examination malpractices. Parent influence was also established to have had effect on the causes of examination malpractices as about 61.2% of the participants opined so. This is perhaps not new but a testimony to what we know, for instance, a couple of years back a father was arrested in Ondo state for sitting for his child to write WAEC examination. Some parents encourage and support their children with morale and finances if necessary to engage in examination malpractices. The causes of this may be in the parents lack of believe in education and or educational system as a whole which has to change because parents themselves half important role to play in breeding efficiently effective and independent Student. TPF though have only two items, it was established to have the greatest input (26.2%) in examination malpractices compared to other variables.
Probe 2: TPF as causes of examination malpractices.
Source: Researcher's field work, FreshtouStat 2021
The researcher explore more with her research tool and variables which include Systematic Factor. This factor includes Lack of lecturers/students relationship (53%), form of examination (53% in support of Pencil on Paper (POP)), form of question (53% in support of Objective questions), failure to complete scheme of work by lecturers (77.6%) and Lecturers influence (67.4%). The first three items are argumentative as half of the respondents supported and the other half were against the items while the last two items have significant contribution to examination malpractice has opined by the participants. These two items are shortcomings of the Lecturers, some lecturers would have set questions down the scheme and take completing the scheme with levity hand, this act as revealed here is tantamount to dragging students to the wall and Students response to the act is usually engagement in malpractice during examination. 67.4% of the respondents also believe that some lecturers encourage malpractices directly through bais, favourism, demanding for money and other things for awarding marks. These two significant items of SF are both tantamount to lecturers negligence of duty and misuse of power which should be looked into and appropriate discipline measures should be put in place by the authorities. Our analyst is afraid as it has become two stakeholders: lecturers and parents who supposed to work toward curbing the incidence that are now established to directly and indirectly promote examination malpractices.
The last variable took up by the researsher is SBF which dealt with societal believe and behaviour to education. The researsher also put two items in this variable and they are misplaced priority for certificate acquisition and lost of trust in education system. The two items had 51% and 81.7% respondents respectively supporting that they influence examination malpractices. While misplaced priority for certificate acquisition without minding to acquire the real knowledge have average support, lost of trust in educational system have a very high support which indifferently depicts public stand on education system. These believes have their contributions to the topic in question as SBF contributes 25.8% of all the examination malpractices occurrence. The public believe need to be erased by the concerned portfolio and embed people's heart with believe and trust in education system as it is known that no system will work without having believe in it. Lastly, 76% of the participants opined that examination malpractices hindered education development. That is, no development will occur or be sustained if examination malpractices continue to be the other of the day. Potentials will be killed, learning and striving to be independent will be discouraged.
Probe 3: Contribution of all the variables to examination malpractices.
Source: Researcher's field work, FreshtouStat 2021
In summary, SPF, TPF, SF, and SBF are factors that affect examination malpractices in Nigeria as discovered in the research work. Stakeholders in curbing this menace are The authorities, Lecturers, Parents and Students themselves. Although it is established that two out of these correction agents; Lecturers and Parents are also mechanisms in the act. All hand has to be on deck and stakeholders have to redefine their stand on the matter as to rescue education sector as well as the life of the youths.
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