Social variables and examination cheating tendency among secondary school students in Calabar Metropolis, Cross River State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated social variables and examination cheating tendency among secondary school students in Calabar Metropolis, Cross River State. Two null hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted ex-post-facto research design. The sample for the study comprised 356 senior secondary school three students selected from 12 public secondary schools in the area representing 10% of the population of 3,562. The instrument used in data collection was “Social Variables and Examination Cheating Tendency Questionnaire” (SVECTQ). The face validity of the instrument was determined by research experts and the reliability of the instrument was determined using Cronbach alpha reliability method which produced reliability coefficient of 0.82. Data collection was done personally by the researcher which was analyzed using Independent t-test and One-way Analysis of Variance tested at .05 level of significance. The result revealed that male students had significant higher examination cheating tendency than their female counterparts. The result further revealed that age had significant positive influence on examination cheating tendency among the students. It was recommended among others that the Ministry of Education should establish or initiate an aspect of ethical behaviour department in schools to enhance students’ commitment and adherence to examination ethics for a corrupt-free Nigerian society.