CHEATING BEHAVIOR IN EXAMINATION:

A STUDY WITH A PHENOMENOLOGICAL VIEW

ABOUT CHEATING

A Research Paper Presented to the Faculty of the

College of Education-Laboratory School
Tarlac Agricultural University
Malacampa, Camiling, Tarlac

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements In

Practical Research I- Qualitative Research

By

GABRIEL TUBIG BRAVO

VINCE ALAIN ANTONIO FERRER
DWYNETTE UZZIAH PEREZ EVANGELISTA
AMADOR EMMANUEL RIVERA CASIÑO

May 2021
 APPROVAL SHEET

In partial fulfillment of the requirements in Practical Research 1-Qualitative Research,

this research entitled “Cheating Behavior In Examination: A Study With A Phenomenological
View About Cheating” prepared and submitted by GABRIEL T. BRAVO, AMADOR
EMMANUEL R. CASIÑO , DWYNETTE UZZIAH P. EVANGELISTA AND VINCE
ALLAIN A. FERRER , has been examined and is recommended for approval and acceptance.

Approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements in Practical Research 1- Qualitative

Research by the Examining Committee.

LEA CREDO, LPT

Subject Teacher

KAREN A. MARIANO TAU-LS

Principal

ii
 APPROVAL SHEET

In partial fulfillment of the requirements in Practical Research 1-Qualitative Research,

this research entitled “Cheating Behavior In Examination: A Study With A Phenomenological
View About Cheating” prepared and submitted by GABRIEL T. BRAVO, AMADOR
EMMANUEL R. CASIÑO , DWYNETTE UZZIAH P. EVANGELISTA AND VINCE
ALLAIN A. FERRER , has been examined and is recommended for approval and acceptance.

Approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements in Practical Research 1- Qualitative

Research by the Examining Committee.

JOHN PAUL C. DEMAPENDAN

Thesis Adviser

LEGARDA Q. SOBRAVILLA, LPT

English Critic

iii
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First, prayers and thanks to the Almighty God for his guidance and divine graces in the
knowledge, perseverance and dedication to the researchers for the fruitful completion of their
study. These important persons are also thankful to the researchers:

Of course, all credit goes to their parents (Mr. Davidson G. Bravo and Ms. Jenina T.
Bravo, Atty. Amador P. Casiño and Catherine R. Casiño, Mr. Edwin S. Evangelista and Ms.
Monaliza P. Evangelista, Mr. Vincent R. Ferrer and Mrs. Aileen A. Ferrer,) for their assistance
and moral support during the researchers' needs.

Ms. Lea Credo, their subject teacher, shared her expertise and guided the researchers in
completing this study.

Sir John Paul C. Demapendan, the researchers' mentor, who generously shared his skills,
expertise, and learnings in order to enhance the researchers' and for his perseverance and
dependability in leading the researchers to develop their analysis and make it a success.

Ms. Legarda Q. Sobravilla, for being hands-on, cooperative, and understanding to the
researchers before the analysis was completed. The researchers thank the respondents for their
support and generosity. Success would have been unlikely without their support.

Researchers’ most beloved friends and classmates , for the support, motivations, and
inspiration that they have given to drive the researchers to finish their study.

Finally, thanks to the friendship and unforgettable experiences that they shared during the
semester, they were able to complete their study paper.

GABRIEL, AMADOR , DWYNETTE , VINCE

iv
 Biographical Sketch

One of the researchers, Vince Alain A. Ferrer, was born on June 11, 2004 in Tarlac City,
and he is now currently living in Malacampa, Camiling, Tarlac. He is the youngest son of
Vincent R. Ferrer and Aileen A. Ferrer. He has two eldest siblings, Jan Alvince A. Ferrer and
Franchette Alodia Ferrer.

He graduated at Malacampa Elementary School, and after he graduated, he got into Tarlac
Agricultural University as a student in Labaratory School. He made new friends at this school
and enjoyed his High School life with these friends of him. He also learned many new things at
this school. His hobby consists of playing Video Games, Reading Manga, and Watching Anime.
After graduating at this school, he wants to pursue Medicine, because he wants to become a
doctor in the future to help people.

He is now currently at his 11th year as a STEM student at Tarlac Agricultural University.
He is not that great at school, and he is also not bad at school. He is a normal student, with a
normal life.

VINCE ALAIN A. FERRER

Researcher

v
 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Born on the 25th day of November 2003, Gabriel T. Bravo was born in Tarlac City, a
senior high school resident. He is currently residing on Rizal Street in Camiling, Tarlac. He is
Davidson Bravo's and Jenina Bravo's eldest son. He has one sibling, Danille Ada Bravo.

He finished primary school in the Central School of Camiling. He then agreed to take an
entrance examination at the Junior High School Tarlac Agricultural University. He was then
accepted to the science curriculum. He now studies as eleventh grade during the STEM course at
the Tarlac University of Agriculture. He had to face many challenges and difficulties and
through his experiences he was maturing in his secondary school life. Furthermore, he has
improved academically and with his skills over the last year.

GABRIEL T. BRAVO
Researcher

vi
 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Amador Emmanuel R. Casiño, one of the researchers, was born on February 26, 2004, in
the UST Hospital in Manila. He is the youngest child among the three children of Atty. Amador
P. Casiño Jr and Catherine R. Casiño. Now reside In the municipality of Camiling, Tarlac.

He finished his elementary at Camiling Central Elementary School, in the section of

Special Science. He finished junior high school at the Tarlac Agricultural University –
Laboratory school with honors. His hobbies are socializing, reading books, and sleeping. He
believes in naturalism and is fond of the possibilities the future may offer.

He is now in Grade 11, at the Tarlac Agricultural University-Senior High School, as A

STEM student. He is currently unsure of the career that he must choose but understands that the
path ahead will be unforgiving but is determined to finish to give himself and his family a better
and easier way of life.

AMADOR EMMANUEL R. CASIÑO

Researcher

vii
 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Born on March 4, 2004, Dwynette Uzziah P. Evangelista was born in Valenzuela City, a
senior high school resident. He is currently residing on Purok 1 Bilad in Camiling, Tarlac. He is
Edwin Evangelista’s and Monaliza Evangelista’s eldest son. He has two siblings, Eiza George
Evangelista and Winona Faith Evangelista.

He finished primary school in the Central School of Camiling. He then decided to take
examination at the Junior High School of Tarlac Agricultural University. He was then accepted
to the science curriculum. He now studies as eleventh grade with the course of STEM of Tarlac
Agricultural University. He had to face many struggles and challenges as a key for him to mature
through his secondary school life. Furthermore, he has improved academically and also learned
more and honed his skills and talents over the last few years.

DWYNETTE UZZIAH P. EVANGELISTA

Researcher

viii
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

PRELIMINARIES PAGE
Title Page i

Approval Sheet ii

Acknowledgement iv

Table of Contents ix

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction of the Study 1

Statement of the Problem 2

Objectives of the Study 2

Significance of the Study 3

Scope and Delimitation 3

Definition of Terms 4

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

Related Literature 6

Related Studies 8

Theoretical Framework 12

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RESEARCH METHODS AND SOURCES OF DATA

Research Design 15

Locale of the Study 15

Unit of Analysis 15

Respondents and Sampling Procedures 16

Data Gathering Instruments 16

Data Gathering Procedures 16

Analysis of Data 16

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 18

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Summary 24

Conclusion 24

Recommendation 26

LITERATURE CITED 27

APPENDICES 29

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 Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

Academic integrity in students has been recognized as a fundamental objective of higher

education. Traditionally, it has been a highly regarded ideal in colleges and universities,
symbolized the essence of learning. Honest endeavor on the part of students was the expected
norm, even though infractions did occur. Although academic integrity is still an objective, in
theory, it loses ground to academic dishonesty in actual practice. Higher education is riot
synonymous with academic integrity. Academic dishonesty is a disturbing trend that is difficult
to accept, much less to understand and explain.

Academic cheating is dishonesty where students act unfairly and deceitfully to gain an
advantage, especially when examining quizzes and activities. Cheating is a huge and serious
problem in many schools around the world. It is also a problem for other students, students who
gave their all and answered the questions while the other students cheat; it's unfair to other
students. Students cheat because they don't want to get a failing grade, and this gives them a false
accomplishment that they did something they didn’t really do.

Why do students cheat in examinations? There is comfort for some teachers in the
rationalized reply that the dishonest students cheat only to themselves. But others view cheating
as evidence of a primary defect of character (Charles A. Drake, 2016).

Academic dishonesty among students is a growing concern for higher education

(Bushweller, 1999). It takes place in primary, secondary, high school and college and even in
programs at master level. With the evolving technology making access to various tools easier,
adolescents will have to choose their academic integrity or dishonesty
 Adolescents are affected by what their peers do, and they shape peer groups based on
common interests. Peer power is at its peak in their lives at this stage. When an "unpopular"
student is approached by a group of "popular" peers who want an assignment or a past exam and
says that the "unpopular" student will join their group of friends if they give them what they
want, the "unpopular" student is likely to provide them with what they want. Peers may be
affected by what their peers are doing. If their peers in their peer group choose academic
dishonesty, they are more likely to follow suit (McCabe,1999).

Statement of the Problem

This study was conducted to sought answers for the following:

1. How do the students perceive cheating in examinations?

2. What are the perceived cheating behaviors of the students?

3. Experiences in dishonesty in examinations?

Objectives of the study

This study was conducted to:

1. To identify the students’ perception of cheating in examinations.

2. To determine the perceived cheating behaviors of the students.

3. To gain insight of their experiences in dishonesty in examinations.

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Significance of the Study

The results that are at the end of this study are beneficial for the people who wish to
understand the students' behavior when it comes to cheating academically. And this study will
also provide awareness not only to those students but also to the Teachers and Parents.

This study will spread awareness to the students whether they may be cheating or not.
This study will also provide information about the Students' perspective on cheating
academically and information about what they think about cheating academically.

To the Teachers, the results of this study will provide the teachers information on how to
cope up with students who are cheating academically.

To the Parents, this study will help understand parents on the Students' or even their
kid's behavior when cheating academically. This can also guide parents on how to console their
kids if ever they cheat in school.

Scope and Delimitations of the Study

This study focuses on the perspective of the respondents on the topic of cheating
academically. This study was conducted to determine the respondents' views on cheating and
how it affects them. The respondents of this study are Grade 9 students at Tarlac Agricultural
University-Laboratory School. The researchers chose interview as their Data Gathering Method
to gather information.

This study was delimited to 6 random students in Grade 9 at Tarlac Agricultural

University-Laboratory School. This study was delimited only to the respondents' perspective on
the topic ' cheating academically' and the effect of the so-called cheating in their life. This study
was delimited to the respondents' past experiences as well.

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Definition of Terms

Academic. It refers in relating to education and scholarship.

Adolescent. It refers to young people. A minor teenager boy or girl.

Behavior. It refers to the way in which one acts or conducts oneself.

Cheating. It refers to act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage, especially

in game or examination.

Cite. It refers in giving a passage, book, or author as evidence for or justification of an

argument or statement, especially in a scholarly work.

Dishonesty. It refers to act falsely or without honesty. It is an act of lack in integrity. It is

used to describe a lack of probity, cheating, lying, or deliberately withholding information.

Endeavor. It refers to an act to try hard or attempt to achieve a goal or something.

Examination. It refers to a formal test of a person’s knowledge or proficiency in a

particular subject or skill.

Integrity. It refers to the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles;
moral uprightness.

Peer. It refers to a person of the same age, status, or ability as another specified person.

Perspective. It refers to a particular view toward or way of regarding something; a point

of view.

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 Repercussion. It refers to an unintended consequence occurring sometime after an event
or action. A karma or backfire.

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 Chapter II

LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter will discuss the role of the school climate in academic dishonesty and why
teenagers prefer academic dishonesty to academic integrity. It will also look at some of the
methods that students use to cheat in school.

It will also briefly examine what school counselors, teachers, and other officials should
do to avoid academic dishonesty.

Related Literature

Influences on Academic Dishonesty

The school environment. The school climate can facilitate academic dishonesty.
Academic dishonesty may be reinforced or discouraged by teachers and other employees. It is
the staff's and the school district's duty to develop specific rules and policies regarding Academic
dishonesty is a form of academic dishonesty. Many schools may already have this in their
student handbooks. Still, students may believe that printing it in the handbook and reading over it
on the first day of school does not affect their decision to choose academic dishonesty over
academic integrity (McCabe, 1999).

Academic dishonesty may be facilitated or prevented by classroom teachers, counselors,

and administration. When a teacher catches a student cheating and does nothing about it, other
students will see it as a simple way to do the same thing and not face repercussions. Put, when
teachers or administration do not care, it provides students with the opportunity they need to
cheat on assignments or exams (Riera & Di Prisco, 2002). This will result in a negative
atmosphere in the school system. Instead of taking advantage of an opportunity to teach students
about integrity, the school encourages intellectual dishonesty. In effect, the school could be
defrauding the students. This will result in a negative atmosphere in the school system. Instead of

6
taking advantage of an opportunity to teach students about integrity, the school encourages
intellectual dishonesty. In essence, the school may cheat the student by failing to capitalize on a
chance to teach the importance of honesty (Riera & Di Prisco, 2002).

Academic dishonesty is also influenced by teacher reputation. Anderman, Cupp, and

Lane (2010) discovered a correlation between the teacher's perceived reputation and the student's
motivation and learning. Students are less likely to cheat in class if they believe they have a
better chance of succeeding. Teachers are regarded as trustworthy. Murdock, Hale, and Weber
(2001) discovered a similar relationship; students indicated that academic dishonesty was less
likely to occur when they perceived their teachers to be valued by the students and committed to
their work.

Adolescents can cheat for a variety of reasons. Adolescents can feel enormous pressure
from their peers or parents to perform to a level that they believe they cannot meet (Kleiner &
Lord, 1999). They can resort to cheating to relieve some of the stress (Strom & Strom, 2007).
Other teenagers can act on their impulsiveness (Anderman et al., 2010). Academic dishonesty in
adolescents can also be motivated by educational and social factors (Murdock et al., 2001).

Parents put a lot of pressure on their children to succeed. Some parents give their children
money as a reward. They will be awarded $100 for every A on their report card. As a result, their
child may become overly competitive with other students, and they may cheat on assignments
and exams to obtain a high score on those and their report cards. Parental pressure on children
may have both positive and negative consequences. Students may feel pressured to perform to
the best of their abilities. However, if the pressure becomes too much for them, they can break.
Cracking under pressure and feeling frustrated can also play a role in why students want to cheat
(Kleiner & Klein). Students may feel pressured to perform to the best of their abilities. However,
if the pressure becomes too much for them, they can break. Cracking under pressure and feeling
frustrated can also play a role in why students cheat (Kleiner & Lord, 1999; Riera & Di Prisco,
2002). When parents compare their children to one another, pressure may build up. Sibling
rivalry or competition between siblings can be intense at times.

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 Peer influences. Peer pressure may be a significant motivator for teenage activity. Peers
may have a substantial impact on academic dishonesty during adolescence. Most people
understand that cheating is unethical. They observe their peers' practices and attitudes toward
academic dishonesty and attempt to imitate them (Rettinger & Kramer, 2009). In essence, this is
establishing a cheating culture inside a school (Rettinger & Kramer, 2009). Rettinger and
Kramer (2009) discovered that when students have intimate knowledge of each other cheating,
they are more likely to engage in the same activity.

Related Studies

Academic dishonesty on term papers was also discovered to be a widespread problem.

Harp and Taietz (1966: 366) performed a survey within a stratified random group of male
students from an Ivy League university's three largest colleges to assess the prevalence of this
behavior. According to these researchers, there was a statistically significant disparity in
frequency between the freshmen and senior years. The College of Agriculture saw a rise from
eighteen and four-tenths percent to fifty-five and seven-tenths percent; the College of Arts and
Sciences saw an increase from twelve and three-tenths percent to twenty-nine and nine-tenths
percent, and the College of Engineering saw an increase from twelve and three-tenths percent to
twenty-nine and nine-tenths percent. There was an improvement from eighteen and four-tenths
percent to fifty-five and seven-tenths percent in the College of Agriculture; and increase from
twelve and three-tenths percent to twenty-nine and nine-tenths percent in the College of Arts and
Sciences; and an increase from twenty-six and one-tenth percent to fifty-nine and seven-tenths
percent in the College of Engineering. In all three of these schools, the prevalence was most
significant in the junior and senior years (Harp, Taietz, 1966: 367)

During their studies, many students commit some form of academic dishonesty, such as
cheating and plagiarism, often higher grades than they can. The current widespread use of the
Internet, mobile and wireless devices has made it easier for students to access information
illegally. At the same time, it has become difficult for academic institutions to control and
discover such instances. Hence students must become aware of the seriousness of these offenses
and be encouraged to avoid them.

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 In the academic field, cheating is not a new phenomenon. The only recent change is in
the way students cheat, mainly due to access to the Internet and the richness of web research and
mobile and wireless devices (Manar Hosny, Shameem Fatima, 2014).

Cheating occurs in pharmacy schools and is motivated by fear of failure, procrastination,

and stress. A history of past cheating predicts pharmacy school cheating. The information
presented may help programs better understand their student population and reassess ethical
culture, testing procedures, and prevention programs. (Eric Ip, Kathy Nguyen, Bijal Shah, Shadi
Doroudgar, Monica Bidwal, 2016)

Surveys of American Students at all levels, from elementary school to graduate school,
also reveal self-reported cheating on homework assignments and tests. Perhaps the kind of
cheating that has received the most recent attention in educational contexts is when educators are
found to have changed students' answer on state-mandated achievement tests, either to ostensibly
help the student avoid being retained in grade, denied a diploma, or some other consequences, or
to aid the educator to obtain a monetary bonus, personal, professional recognition, or to help the
educator's school meet an overall achievement goal.

It might be argued that some cheating has more severe and has more severe and far-
reaching consequences than other cheating. Indeed, the implications of a third-grader copying the
correct word on a spelling test from a nearby classmate would seem to be less concern than an
aspiring but incompetent physician obtaining an advance copy of the test that will be used to
determine whether he or she is licensed to practice Medicine. (Gregory Cizek, James Wollack,
2017)

Academic dishonesty has gained popularity in the online cheating world of distance
education learning over the last decade. Students may employ a wide range of online services to
write research papers, complete homework assignments, or enroll on behalf of the student on
record to take the entire online course with a few quick keystrokes. Although higher education
institutions have seen online learning to increase student enrollments and thereby increase their

9
bottom line, the number of Internet cheating companies that promote academic dishonesty has
also grown. Academic dishonesty has become more common in the online world, leaving
professors with a difficult task. (Moten, James, Jr; Fitterer, Alex; Brazier, Elise; Leonard,
Jonathan; Brown, Avis, June 2013)

Cheating on elementary school students has been going on for a long time, but teachers
and schools are still struggling to deal with it. Cheating can lead to children being dishonest in
their pursuit of a high score. Furthermore, cheating would affect students before they reach.
Adulthood. This behavior will harm other students who have worked hard and been fair in
completing tests and assignments from teachers at school. Cheating is a deceptive, fraudulent act
that justifies doing anything to get a high score on an assignment, especially on tests or exams.
(Daviq Chairilsyah, 2020)

In this study, 673 college students from the United States, France, and Greece were asked
to consider the importance of social learning theory in explaining academic dishonesty. Beyond
the personal factor of conscientiousness and the demographic characteristic of the age, we found
support for social learning theory. Perceived peer dishonesty was incrementally actual as a
predictor of self-reported academic dishonesty across here countries. The perceived punishment
for academic cheating earned help only in the U.S. study, contrary to expectations. After
adjusting for other variables such as age, conscientiousness, perceived punishment for cheating,
and peer dishonesty across three nations, justification for academic dishonesty contributed
incremental variation. Furthermore, cultural variations accounted for nearly half of the explained
variation in academic dishonesty, with French students allegedly cheating substantially more
than Greek and American students. The topic of business ethics teaching and study was
discussed, as well as its implications. (Nhung T. Hendy, Nathalie Montargot, Antigoni
Papadimitriou, 2021)

Academic fraud has become an albatross for higher education administrators, with long-
term implications for countries’ growth agendas. The aim of this paper is to look into the
connection between students’ religious beliefs and their proclivity for cheating on exams. In
addition, this paper looked into cheating methods, motives for cheating, and the connection

10
between peer cheating perception and examination cheating propensity among Ghanaian
students. (Christopher Mensah, Edem M. Azila-Gbettor, 2018)

The studies of McCabe, 1999, Riera & Di Prisco, 2002, Anderman, Cupp, and Lane
(2010), Murdock, Hale, and Weber (2001) are relevant to our study because they confirmed that
schools and teachers have a large impact on students' cheating behavior. Kleiner and Lord
(1999),Klein Kleiner and Lord, 1999; Riera and Di Prisco, 2002; these studies are relevant to
ours because they demonstrate that parents are the ones who are responsible for students
engaging in this type of bad behavior.While the studies Strom & Strom 2007, Anderman et al.
2010, Murdock et al. 2001, Rettinger & Kramer 2009, are also relavant to our study becasue their
studies show that cheating is more likely to occur due to stress, social conditions and an attempt
to copy their classmates.

The study of Harp and Taietz (1966:367) is relevant to our study because they confirmed
the increase of the frequency of cheating of the students. The studiens of Manar Hosny,
Shameem Fatima (2014) and Moten James, Jr; Fitter, Alex; Brazier, Elise; Leonard, Jonathan;
Brown, Avis (June 2013) are both proving the enhanced cheating with the use of internet. The
study conducted by Eric Ip, Kathy Nguyen, Bijal Shah, Shadi Doroudgar, Monica Bidwal (2016)
is relevant to our study because it strengthens the answers of the respondents of our study about
the factors that pushes them to cheat. These factors are fear of failure, procrastination, and stress.
The study of Gregory Cizek, James Wollack (2017) is relevant to our study because it supports
the answers of our respondents about cheating on assignments. The study of Daviq Chairilisyah
(2020) proves that cheating also exists even elementary grade level and supports the experience
of some of our respondents who first committed cheating when they are in elementary. The
studies of Nhung T. Hendy, Nathalie Montargot, Antigoni Papadimitriou (2021) and Christopher
Mensah, Edem M. Azila-Gbettor (2018) are relevant to our study because it strengthens the area
of poor cheating in our study.

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Theoretical Framework

To have a guide towards explaining the academic dishonesty of every student in an

examination, the researchers used critical theories, which will also introduce the variables of the
study.

Academic dishonesty, also known as academic fraud, refers to any cheating in connection
with a structured academic exercise. Plagiarism is described as adopting or duplicating another
person's thoughts, sentences, or comments without proper attribution.

The first theory chosen was the theory of rational choice to understand why sure students
behave dishonestly in academia. Later in this segment, the reason for our choice is indicated.
Several studies have shown that rational choices are an adequate basis for understanding
university students' academic dishonesty (e.g., Sattler et al., 2013; Simkin & McLeod, 2009;
Tibbetts & Myers, 1999). Based on rational choice suppositions, these studies hypothesize that
scholarly dishonesty is not arbitrary or unintended but somewhat premeditated and determined
(Simkin & McLeod, 2009; Tibbetts & Myers, 1999). Students who are "subjectively" engaged in
misleading academic activities weigh official and informal punishments, academically deceptive
identification, and advantages. When the relative benefits of a dishonest university procedure
outweigh their expenses, the students are involved (ceteris paribus) (Sattler et al., 2013).

The researchers chose rational choice theory as a framework because many of them were
practicing dishonestly academically simply because they would gain a "profit" from such
activities, based on our experience in working closely with some students, while the certainty
that sanctions were detected and serious was relatively low.

The second theory is the Planned Behavior Theory, which holds that cheating occurs due
to both the opportunity and the intention to cheat (Ajzen, 1969). As a result, efforts to prevent
cheating must address both situational and behavioral factors. Instructors who reduce cheating
opportunities by being more vigilant during exams may only create frustrated cheaters who will

12
still cheat at the next available opportunity. Proponents of planned behavior theory would
concentrate their efforts on both prevention and education about the importance of academic
integrity. Both sides of the planned behavior theory are supported by research on the correlates
of cheating. On the opportunity side, empty seats between students and multiple forms of the
same test during exams have a medium and small negative effect on cheating. Allowing students
to sit in the back of the room and allowing them to sit next to their friends, on the other hand,
have a small and medium positive effect on cheating, respectively. On the intention side, the
perception of a moral obligation to avoid cheating has a moderately negative impact (Whitley,
1998).

The third theory is the relative deprivation theory, this proposes that the relationship
between peer cheating behavior and observers' cheating behavior is a function of feelings of
relative deprivation. (Shaver, 1987; Stack, 1984).

On the fourth theory, the researchers chose Consequentialism as one of our theories
because Consequentialism is a class of normative, teleological ethical theories that holds that the
consequences of one's conduct are the ultimate basis for any judgment about the rightness or
wrongness of that conduct. Thus, from a consequentialist standpoint, a morally right act is one
that will produce a good outcome. This can explain the respondents’ reasoning.

For the fifth theory, the chosen theory the Theory of Situational Ethics as one of the
theories since it has a connection to cheating when it comes to Ethics. According to the theory of
Situational Ethics, one can possibly justify their wrong doings under extreme circumstances. It
can be connected to cheating to explain the respondents’ reasoning on why they cheat.

For the sixth theory, the chosen theory was the Deterrence theory, as it posits that
cheating is a function of the severity of the consequences. The approach suggested by deterrence
theory has some practical problems. Research shows that the effectiveness and intensity of
deterrents vary among cultures. responses to academic dishonesty are not universal but should be
tailored to the particular culture of the institution. The author concludes that cheating should be

13
punished with severe consequences, including failing the assignment, failing the course,
academic probation or even expulsion.
And for the seventh theory, The Neutralization theory was chosen because it
hypothesizes that students are able to engage in morally wrong acts without damage to their self-
concept if they can rationalize those acts and think of them as morally neutral rather than wrong.
Research on the correlates of cheating has found that neutralization techniques have a medium to
large positive effect on cheating. Some cheaters might deny responsibility, saying they did
nothing wrong.

●Ask the respondents ●Gather the data ●Spread awareness

about our study’s to students

objectives.
●Analyze the data

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 Chapter III

RESEARCH METHODS AND SOURCES OF DATA

This chapter presents the research methods, design, instrument and other sources of data
used by the researchers to identify the cheating behavior of an individual.

Research Design

The design that the research used was the phenomenology design. This design describes
as more qualitative and requires an Interview as a data collection method. In a qualitative
interview, the researcher usually develops a guide to refer to during the interview or memorize
the discussion. The researchers aim to know the perspective of grade 9 students in terms of
cheating behavior in Tarlac Agricultural University- Laboratory School.

Locale of the Study

The researchers gathered respondents from the Grade 9 students in Tarlac

Agricultural University-Laboratory, and the respondents will be interviewed to their liking if
they are comfortable or if they have free time. The respondents were interviewed via chat and
Google Meet. The study was conducted in the second semester of the academic year 2020-2021.

Unit of Analysis

In this study, the unit of analysis are the students in Grade 9 from Tarlac Agricultural
University. The respondents the researchers’ chose have experienced cheating academically,
either light cheating or extreme cheating. Each respondent was interviewed via google
meet/video chat.

15
Respondents and Sampling Procedures

The respondents of the study were chosen from TAU Junior High School Grade 9
students. The respondents were selected through simple random sampling, where each student
had an equal chance of being selected as a respondent.

The study pursued an interview type of survey, the researchers scheduled an online
interview via google meet. A total of six (6) respondents were interviewed by the researchers.
The interview was recorded to see the emotion of the respondents while answering the
questionnaire. Their answers were transcribed word for word.

Data Gathering Instrument

The researchers of this study were strongly determined to search in a lot richer detail to
the respondents about academic dishonesty. This study used a semi-structured interview, which
allows the researcher to express the interview questions in the format that they prefer, as opposed
to a structured interview.

Data Gathering Procedure

To collect data about the academic dishonesty of an individual, the researchers

administered a semi-structured interview to six (6) grade 9 students of Tarlac Agricultural
University. The semi-structured interview asked participants their perception of cheating, their
perceived experiences, and their experiences in dishonesty.

Analysis of Data

16
 The data were gathered by interviewing our respondents one-by-one. The researchers
used the Thematic Analysis as their way to analyze the data gathered in this study. The
researchers decided to use the method that is Thematic Analysis so that the researchers can
further understand the respondent’s way of thinking or behavior when it comes to cheating
academically. And by doing so, patterns can be detected, and similarities between different data.
Thus, the researchers gathered the data and compiled the ones that have similarities to each
other.

17
 Chapter IV

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

This chapter contains all of the data acquired by the researchers, which greatly aided the
study's main aims and specific scope of problems.

Data Presentation

The following information was gathered using an interview guide that was anchored to
the statement of the problem that this research aimed to solve. The following describes the
themes and theories, broken down into three sections for the three questions of the statement of
the problem and the data acquired in each of the six (6) interviews.

Discussion

A. Perceptions About Cheating

One (1) theme emerged in analyzing the interview data, which will be discussed in this
section. The theme is the following:

Cheating is Bad but Inevitable

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 The gathered data from the respondents dictated that they know that cheating is bad, but
cannot be avoided.

As stated by the Situational Ethics Theory, students cheat in response to extraordinary

circumstances where breaking the rules is possibly justified. This theory links with what R1 said:

“Since our way of learning is through flexible learning…uhm we’re going through
difficulties on some things… and yeah, we’re on online platform… cheating is now
frequent.”

The Rational Choice Theory treats dishonest actions as the result of decisions that
rational agents make (Cornish & Clarke, 1986). The eventual course of action is chosen after
weighing the advantages and disadvantages of all possible alternatives. Thus, deciding to cheat
results from a cost-benefit analysis.

“It’s like you have no choice, you would rather cheat than fail in exam, something like
that.”-R1

B. Perceived Cheating Behaviors of Students

In analyzing the interview data, five (5) themes emerged. These themes will be discussed
in this section. The themes are:

The Beginning of Cheating Behavior

Some students state that they started cheating as early as Elementary. This means that
they started cheating when they were kids. According to Daviq Chairilsyah (2020), cheating on
elementary school students has been going on for a long time, but teachers and schools are still
struggling to deal with it. Cheating can lead to children being dishonest in their pursuit of a high

19
score. Furthermore, cheating would have an effect on students before they reach adulthood. This
proves that cheating can start at an early time. This also means that it can affect the students
when they reached high school.

The respondents claim that they started at high school. They may have started cheating at
that time, since the massive leap of difficulty of all subjects in high school can be hard to other
students. This can explain by the theory of rational choice, where students can justify their
actions because of an extreme circumstance. Cheating occurs in pharmacy schools and is
motivated by fear of failure, procrastination, and stress (Eric Ip, et al. 2016).

The Bad Side of Cheating

The researchers determined that the theme “The Bad Side of Cheating” was most
appropriate because it corresponds to the codes that we made; Cheating can be considered bad
based on how or what the respondents' negative experiences made them feel.” Cheatings’
negative consequences can be traced back to social learning theory, which holds that human
behavior is learned as individuals interact with their surroundings. To maintain problem
behavior, either positive or negative reinforcement is used. This theory is related to the negative
emotional effect of cheating. R1’s statement dictates this theory in which they say:

"At first, I was nervous like I was guilty, then I was a bit less guilty".

The Neutral Side of Cheating

The researchers’ acquired information from some students claim that cheating to them are
normal, inevitable, and an accomplishment. This correlates to the Theory of Neutralization.
Neutralization theory (Sykes & Matza, 1957), on the other hand, hypothesizes that students are

20
able to engage in morally wrong acts without damage to their self-concept if they can rationalize
those acts and think of them as morally neutral rather than wrong. Research on the correlates of
cheating has found that neutralization techniques have a medium to large positive effect on
cheating, thus lending support to this theory (Whitley, 1998). R6 said:

“Nothing, it looks like I'm used to it”.

On the other hand, some students think that cheating is a good thing, but they also have
negative emotions lingering. This can be further explained by Consequentialism.
Consequentialism is an ethical theory that judges whether or not something is right by what its
consequences are. For instance, most people would agree that lying is wrong. But if telling a lie
would help save a person's life, consequentialism says it's the right thing to do.

“Regret but at the same time it is an accomplishment because…because you tried to

cheat but…but you’re feeling uncomfortable.” -R1

“It’s just like normal but I feel a bit of guilt.”-R3

Factors of Cheating

As claimed by the respondents, they state that they happen to cheat because of different
factors such as difficult topics, failure to review, difficulties of understanding lessons and many
more. An extension of SCT, Relative Deprivation theory, proposes that the relationship between
peer cheating behavior and observers' cheating behavior is a function of feelings of relative
deprivation. Unfavorable comparisons, such as when observers believe that their peers have
received desired benefits (e.g., higher grades) or opportunities as a result of cheating, can elicit
negative emotions such as rage, envy, discontent, dissatisfaction, and perceived injustice
(Shaver, 1987; Stack, 1984). In that case we can connect the relative deprivation theory to the
factors why some of students cheat.

21
 “Because I didn’t really get the lesson for the exam, I didn’t really know what to put in
the answer sheet so I tried to cheat.”-R2

Ways of Cheating

There’s a variety of ways to engage in this type of activity, including asking classmates,
exchanging papers, and searching online. The rational choice theory considers dishonesty to be
the result of rational agents' decisions (Cornish & Clarke, 1986). After weighing the benefits and
drawbacks of all possible options, the final course of action is chosen. As a result, the decision to
cheat is based on a cost-benefit analysis. The effort involved in cheating rather than studying the
material, the expected improvement in grade due to cheating, the stakes involved in the
assignment, and so on may all play a role in the decision. In this case we could connect this
theory to what respondent number four said that demonstrates their rational decision thought
process.

"I have no memories of me cheating this high school. I avoided cheating. But there are
activities that our teacher left for us, me and my friends are copying one another. We
flocked together at the corner of the room."

C. Experience in Cheating

In analyzing the data, two (2) themes emerged. These themes will be discussed in this
section. The themes are:

Cheating has Benefits

22
 The theme that emerged was: “Cheating has Benefits”, because it is the word that best fits
it. Benefits, because, based on our respondents' responses, they gain different benefits from
cheating. The 'Benefits' are linked to the rational choice theory because the rational choice theory
treats dishonest actions as the result of rational agents' decisions. A cost-benefit analysis is used
to determine whether or not to cheat. The risk of being caught has a moderately negative impact
on cheating. The fear of punishment has a minor negative impact. This theory links to what R1
said:

“The benefits that you got are of course the questions you got, you’re really lucky if you
got the real answer that was programmed”.

“Something like High scores in exams and quizzes”-R2

Consequences of Cheating

The theme that manifested here was the “Consequences of Cheating” because it related
itself to what our respondents stated and this was most fitting because one of the respondents was
on the verge of experiencing the consequences. The deterrence theory says that cheating depends
on the level of severity of the effects “Cheating consequences” can be related with the deterrence
theory (Zimring & Hawkins, 1973). It also says that if a certain conduct is to be curtailed, we
should punish it with consequences which are sufficiently severe to discourage students,
including failure to work, failure to attend school or even expulsions.

“I’ve been caught, but I'm not sure if my grade was reduced or something. I'm not sure if
it's me but I'll complain I'm one of them. It's only now that it's an online class, but then
there was no face-to-face”.-R1

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 Chapter V

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This chapter of the research study includes the study's overview and conclusion, general
aims, major relevance, and methodology. This section also includes the study's recommendation
in the concluding section.

Summary

The purpose of this study was to investigate the many prevalent perspectives and
perceived experiences of cheating behavior among Tarlac Agricultural University, Laboratory
School A.Y 2020 - 2021 Grade 9 students.

The thematic method of analytical analysis was used as the main tool for the collection
of data with the interview guide. In this school year 2020-2021, 6 grade 9 students participated in
this study.

The interview results revealed that all of the respondents are involved in this type of act,
with the majority of them beginning to cheat while they were in grade 7. According to their
responses, the main reason they cheat is that they do not grasp the topic, did not review, do not

24
have enough time, and are afraid of failing. The study's findings address and investigate the
experience and perceptions of grade 9 students.

Conclusion

Following the result of the conducted interview, the following conclusions were formed:

1. Based on the findings, the researchers have concluded that cheating, is nonetheless
inevitable. The motivity for cheating is because of the extreme
situations/circumstances that made them think that there is no other possible way and
they thought that breaking the rules was justified.

2. Students start cheating at an early age, while others started to do so on high school.
They started cheating at that time because of the massive leap of difficulty of all
subjects in high school can be perceived as hard to other students. Based on the
findings, it was concluded that the bad sides of cheating contain negative effects on
their feelings when the experiences they gone through were negative. It cannot be
denied that cheating also has a good side for the student who committed it. It also has
a neutral side to it. Some students claimed that cheating to them are normal,
inevitable, and an accomplishment. They are able to engage in this morally wrong act
without damage to their self-concept if they can rationalize it and think of it as
morally neutral rather than wrong. Neutralization techniques have a medium to large
positive effect on this phenomenon.

The researchers have also concluded that that the students happen to cheat because of
different factors such as difficult topics, failure to review, difficulties of
understanding lessons and many more. The collection of information regarding their
methods of cheating were briefly examined and found out that the most common
forms of cheating are asking classmates, exchanging papers, and searching online.

25
 3. Cheating has its own benefits, as stated by the findings, some respondents report that
they acquired higher scores in exams and quizzes, Hence, a higher grade. Cheating
also has its consequences. One of the respondents that was interviewed was caught
and although the evidence is confidential, the teacher put the results of the cheater on
their “My Day” section of Facebook. Of course, the subject felt humiliated, regret,
and in panic, wondering if their grade was reduced because of it. The consequences of
cheating are: Humiliation, Panic, Regret, Anxiety, and Reduced grades.

Recommendation

Based on the conclusions that were listed, the researchers recommend the following for
those who have cheated, or are considering cheating on various circumstances:

1. For students who have cheated, The best advice for them is just to not to do it again
because it’s commonly known that it's just wrong. There are several ways to remedy
cheating, don't get used to it and remember that cheating is not acceptable at most
cases. It is preferable to just to continue and improve your studies. This is where the
quote: “You reap what you sow.” applies to. It is also preferable not just not cheat
since you are training your brain to study more and hone more knowledge.

2. Consult your teacher whenever you don’t understand a topic and don’t consider
cheating, it is a more reliable and honest way to consult teachers since they are
willing to help you every step of the way of your studies and they assure that you
should get an honest grade from honest work. If you choose the latter, you will just be
lying to your teachers and lying to yourself as well.

3. Trust and have faith in yourself, Because in the long run, cheating will not have a
great of an impact to your future, it will do the opposite since you did things by
cheating instead of studying, you will not learn, you cannot utilize your knowledge

26
 since you did not learn your lessons, some paths may be hard, like studying, but it
will pay off in the future, so be wise.

4. It is your responsibility as a student to obey academic integrity and not violate it and
commit academic dishonesty. You should aspire to become role models to your
fellow students so that they will feel inspired to study hard and in the process, lessen
or eliminate academic dishonesty.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

JAMES M. (2013). Examining Online College Cyber Cheating Methods and Prevention
Measures. Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1012879
DAVIQ C. (2020). The Phenomenon of Cheating among Elementary School Students. Retrieved
from: https://primary.ejournal.unri.ac.id/index.php/JPFKIP/article/view/8090
NATHALIE M. (2021). Cultural Differences in Academic Dishonesty: A Social Learning
Perspective. Retrieved from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10805-021-09391-8
CHRISTOPHER M. (2018). Religiosity and students’ examination cheating: evidence from
Ghana. Retrieved from: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJEM-07-2017-
0165/full/html
PHILIP P. (2017). Academic Integrity and Cheating:  Why is it wrong to cheat? Retrieved
from: https://www.qcc.cuny.edu/SocialSciences/ppecorino/Academic-Integrity-cheating.html
GREGORY C. (2013). Detecting and Preventing Classroom Cheating. Retrieved from:
https://books.google.com.ph/books?
hl=en&lr=&id=oC8lDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA3&dq=elementary%20school%20cheating
%20behavior&ots=pRH3htXQOA&sig=K7ElvJWfNeMVqUpI_KePZslz1Og&redir_esc=y#v=o
nepage&q=elementary%20school%20cheating%20behavior&f=false
KATHY N. (2015). Motivations and Predictors of Cheating in Pharmacy School. Retrieved
from: https://www.ajpe.org/content/80/8/133.short

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MANAR H. (2014). Attitude of Students Towards Cheating and Plagiarism: University Case
Study. Retrieved from: http://debdavis.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/83389921/CONTEMP
%20attitudes%20of%20students%20towards%20cheating.pdf
BUSHWELLER, K. (1999). Student cheating: a morality moratorium? The American School
Board Journal. Retrieved from: http://www2.uwstout.edu/content/lib/thesis/2011/2011kossj.pdf
MCCABE, D.L. (1999). Academic dishonesty among high school students. Retrieved from:
http://www2.uwstout.edu/content/lib/thesis/2011/2011kossj.pdf
STAROVOYTOVA, DIANA & NAMANGO, SAUL & KATANA, HARRISON. (2016).
Theories and Models Relevant to Cheating-Behaviour. Retrieved from:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308785916_Theories_and_Models_Relevant_to_Cheat
ing-Behaviour/citation/download

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APPENDICES

29
 APPENDIX A

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTION

Questions:

1. What are your views about cheating

R#1: First of all syempre yung pagchecheat is a bad thing, but hindi natin maiiwasan yun
syempre lalo ngayon yung way ng pagcclass natin is flexible learning. Mas nahihirapan tayo sa
mga bagay-bagay at yun nga, nasa online platform tayo mas napapadalas yung pagchecheat
talaga.

⸢ First of all of course cheating is a bad thing, but we can’t avoid it of course since our way of
learning is through flexible learning. We’re going through difficulties on some thing and we’re
on online platform cheating is now frequent. ⸥

R#2: Para sakin po is cheating po is bad at d ko po siya sinusuport, para sakin d dapat po sya
ginagawa normally.

⸢For me, cheating is bad and I don’t support it, I think it shouldn’t be done normally. ⸥

30
R#3: Cheating po is para po saakin is pandaraya po sa exam na pag di mo na talaga kaya
parang napapangunahan ka na ng tukso. Parang no choice ka na, gusto mo nalang mag cheat
kesa bumagsak parang ganun po. Para saain isa po siyang masamang hobby, kung nagiging
hobby man po siya masama po siyang kaugalian.

⸢Cheating for me is cheating in the exam when you really don't, so you seem to be led by
temptation. You seem to have no choice, you just want to cheat instead of falling like that. For
him, he is a bad hobby, if he becomes a hobby, he has bad habits. ⸥

R#4: Para saakin po cheating po is yung parang po sa exam po, yung parang di mo po alam
yung sagot kaya titingin ka sa katabi mo ganun po.

⸢ For me, cheating is like taking the exam, like you don't know the answer, so you'll look at the
person next to you like that. ⸥

R#5: Yung pag kahit alam mo nang mali ginagawa parin.

⸢ Even if you know something is wrong, you are still doing it. ⸥

R#6: Pangongopya po sa klase or sa exam, quiz, or assignment po.

⸢ Copying in classes or in exam, quiz, or assignment. ⸥

2. Are there any instances where you have seen someone cheat?

R#1: Opo! Syempre. Since ano isa na rin ako sa mga nagchecheat. Yung parang hindi naman
yung totally na parang talagang lahat-lahat chinicheat-I mean parang mga simpleng tanong
lang, syempre nahihirapan din naman po tayo. Pero meron po meron po.

31
⸢ Yes! Of course. Since I’m one of those who cheats. Like—It's not totally that I cheat all of them
—I mean only the simple questions, of course we’re going through difficulties as well. But yeah,
there are. ⸥

R#2: Yes po, sa mga classmates po ganon, pag umaalis ang teacher pag exam po ay parang
may pinapasa-pasa po silang mga papel po na nacrumple po tas pagpapasa pasahan po nila sa
classroom.

⸢ Yes, from my classmates, if the teacher leaves while in an exam, it’s like they pass some paper
that is crumpled then they pass it around the classroom. ⸥

R#3: Meron po kuya,.meron na po akong nakita pero hindi ko lang po maalala kung saan. Yung
pong parang naecounter po akong may nag cheat may nagsabi saakin na si ganyan si ganito
nag cheat, si ganyan nangopya nandaya may ganon po akong naecounter na.

⸢ Yes, I’ve seen one, I’ve seen one but I can’t remember where I saw it. It’s like when I
encountered someone cheated, and somebody told me he/she cheated, he/she copied somebody,
I’ve encountered something like this ⸥

R#4: Yes po.

⸢ Yes. ⸥

R#5: Marami po

⸢ There are many. ⸥

R#6: Opo. ‘pag minsan kami din po. Saakin po sila nangongopya

⸢ Yeah, we also cheat in some cases. They copy me. ⸥

32
3. When was the first time you engaged in this act? (Cheating)

R#1: Ngayon lang online platform or meron din noon pero bilang lang po talaga.

⸢ It started this online platform, there are instances before but it’s not that frequent ⸥

R#2: First time ko po magcheat ay nung mid grade 7 po ganon.

⸢ The first time I cheated was during the middle of grade 7. ⸥

R#3: kwan po naman kasi, yung pang chicheat ko pong ginawa hindi po ako yung nangopya ako
po yung kwan noon syempre po kahit naman po ikaw yung nagpakopya considered parin naman
po as cheating diba? Grade 2 po ako nung nagpakopya ako.

⸢ It’s hard to explain, the way of cheating I’m doing, I’m not the one cheating. Of course, when
you are the one who let them copy, it is still considered as cheating right? I’m grade 2 when I let
the copied me ⸥

R#4: Noong elementary po.

⸢ In elementary school. ⸥

R#5: Grade 7
⸢ Grade 7. ⸥

R#6: Di naman po ako nag-ano noong elem, baka po elem. Pero hindi ko lang po matandaan.
⸢ I’m not sure if I did it on elementary, maybe I did it on elem. But I have no clear memories of
it.⸥

33
4. What did you feel when you did it for the first time?

R#1: Parang may halong ano, pagsisisi at the same time eh accomplishment kasi parang
nagawa mong mag-cheat. Pero ano feeling mo hindi ka kumportable.

⸢ It’s like there’s a mix of what, regret but at the same time it is an accomplishment because you
tried to cheat. But you’re feeling uncomfortable. ⸥

R#2: Parang d po siya tama at nakakakonsensya po ganon.

⸢It’s like it isn’t right and I feel conscious of guilt. ⸥

R#3: Medyo kabado po kasi pag nahuli syempre pag nahuli po patay tayo. (Inaudible)

⸢ Quite nervous because if you got caught of course if you got caught we’re screwed (inaudible)⸥

R#4: Nung una, kinabahan po na parang naguguilty po tapos yun po ganun po medyo
naguguilty.

⸢ At first, I was nervous like I was guilty, then I was a bit guilty.⸥

R#5: Kabado po

⸢ Nervous. ⸥

R#6: Kabado po

⸢ Nervous. ⸥

5. What may be the possible factors or influences that made you do it?

34
R#1: One of the main reasons is hindi nakapag review since may ibang topics na hirap talaga,
tapos konti lang yung time ang daming subjects na kasabay kaya iyon.

⸢ One of the main reasons is that I didn’t review since there are topics that it’s so hard, then
there’s only little time, then there are too many subjects at the same time, so there’s that. ⸥

R#2: Kasi na sobrang di ko po gets yung parang lesson po ganon sa exam po hindi ko po alam
kung anong ilalagay po dun sa answer sheet kaya tinry ko po magcheat.

⸢ Because I didn’t really get the lesson for the exam, I didn’t really know what to put in the
answer sheet so I tried to cheat. ⸥

R#3: Kasi po, no choice na. Wala naman pong nagsabi sakin pero dahil nga po sa no choice
na, kesa bumagsak.

⸢ Because, I had no choice. Nobody told me to cheat but of course, I chose ‘no choice’, rather
than failing. ⸥

R#4: Minsan po di po alam sagot or di po nagreview

⸢ Sometimes I don't know the answer or I don't review. ⸥

R#5: Fear of failure po

⸢ Fear of failure. ⸥

R#6: Kulang po sa time, like super rush po. Kasi po minsan po di ko alam na deadline na po.

35
⸢ Lack of time, like super rush. Because sometimes I didn’t know that its deadline is on that
day. ⸥

6. In what ways did you cheat when the medium of learning was face to face?

R#1: Nagtatanong po sa kaklase ko suring quizzes or exams. Kinalabit-kalabitan parang ganon

po. Ay meron pa pala kuya, yung ano parang pag-swap ng paper. Pero ano isang beses lang
yun.

⸢ I’m asking my classmates during quizzes or exams. I also poke my classmates, something like
that. And one more thing, the thing where we swap papers but I only did it once. ⸥

R#2: Parang nakikopya lang po sa iba, yung tinginan po ng test papers po nung iba.

⸢ It’s like I copied from others, when we just viewed each other’s test papers.⸥

R#3: Wala na po ako masyado maalala kasi nitong high school po. Iniiwasan ko na po talaga.
Pero meron po mga activities na iniiwan ng teachers nag kokopyahan po kami ng mga tropa ko.
Kumpulan po sa isang sulok.

⸢ I have no memories of me cheating this high school. I avoided cheating. But there are
activities that our teacher left for us, me and my friends are copying one another. We flocked
together at the corner of the room. ⸥

R#4: Mag tatanong po sa katabi

⸢ Asking my seatmate. ⸥

R#5: Pag kunwari po nakalimutan pong may assignment hihingi po ng sagot sa katabi or sa
barkada

36
⸢ For example, if you have forgotten an assignment, you will ask the person next to you or the
group for an answer. ⸥

R#6: Sa assignment lang naman po. Assignment lang po minsan. Parang nagtatanong-tanong
po kapag hindi ko alam po yung sagot, lalo po sa Math.

⸢ Only assignments. Sometimes assignment only. Like we are asking each other questions when I
don’t know the answer especially in Math. ⸥

7. How do you cheat on online classes?

R#1: Nag-aask ako sa mga kaklase ko minsan kung ano yung sagot dito yung sagot dyan
ganon. Pero yung pagsesearch or pagtitingin sa mismong module or dun sa mismong file hindi
ko pa po nagawa yun.

⸢ I ask my classmates on what’s the answer to this and that. But researching or looking at your
module or the file is the one I’ve never done before. ⸥

R#2: Ganun din po pero hindi naman po siya parang cheating, nageexchange lang po kami ng
answers, tapos nagsesearch po sa google po pag di na talaga po alam.

⸢ Just like the same but not really like cheating, we just exchange answers, and search google if
we don’t really know. ⸥

R#3: Tanong tanungan po sa tropa ganun, nagawa mo na yung ganito? nagawa mo na yung
ganyan? May sagot ka na ba sa ganyan pwedeng pakita pakopya parang ganun po. Tapos sa
exam pag sobrang hirap po ng tanong, syempre po hindi naman po lahat ng teachers nagtuturo
di naman po naman namin alam kung saan po kukunin yung mga sagot, syempre po di po talaga
maiwasan yung sisilip po sa module na sinend or titingin sa google or sa brainly po ganun.

37
⸢ My friends and I are asking each other, “have you done this?”, “have you done that?”, “Do
you have any answer to this? Can I copy?” something like that. And when it’s time for exams,
when the questions are super hard, of course not all teachers are teaching, we don’t know where
to get the answers, of course it’s inevitable that we peek at the module they sent, or we look-up
the answer in Google or Brainly. ⸥

R#4: Through google po

⸢Through Google. ⸥

R#5: Nanghihingi din po ng sagot

⸢I'm asking for an answer. ⸥

R#6: Puro assignment po lagi. Iyon din po, mga tanong-tanungan po kami ganon.

⸢ It’s only from assignment. It’s always assignment. Just like I said, we ask each other. ⸥

8. Are there any similarities of how you cheat before and during online classes?

R#1: Yun syempre ano nagtatanong din ako sa mga kaklase ko kapag face-to-face classes and
same thing sa online classes.

⸢ Of course sometimes I will ask my classmates when it was face-to-face and same thing to
online classes. ⸥

R#2: Wala pa po sa ngayon kasi dati po pag nagchecheat lang po, parang nagtitinginan po pero
yung pero yung cheating po this online class is nagsesearch po ganon.

38
⸢Not really as of now because before, if we cheat, it’s like we just view each other’s work, and
during this online class, we do search. ⸥

R#3: Meron po kasi syempre po pareho naman pong cheating, pareho naman pong
pangongopya or pandurugas yung ginagawa pero yun pong similarities po talaga parang wala
po masyado kasi po dito po sa online class mas madali po kasi po mas iwas yung, mas less yung
porsyente na mabubuko ka kesa sa face to face po e.

⸢ There are similarities because both are cheating. They are both copying others or being
deceitful, but on the other note, there are no really similarities, because here in online class it’s
easier, because you can avoid… there are less percentage of you getting caught compared to
face. ⸥

R#4: Yes po kasi po dati po nung face to face palang po nagtataning po ako tapos ngayong
online po nagtatanong rin po ako.

⸢ Yes, because I used to ask face to face questions and now I'm also asking questions online. ⸥

R#5: Yes po

⸢Yes. ⸥

R#6: Opo, puro assignment lang naman po kasi ako nag-aano.

⸢Yes, when I cheat it’s always about assignment. ⸥

9. How do you feel when you cheat now compared to when you did it for the first time?

R#1: Ngayon parang ano ganon parin yung feeling, parang may maliit parin na percentage na
ganon parin yung nararamdaman ko kasi medyo hindi pa rin po ako sanay sa pagchecheat. Mas

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gusto ko pa rin yung may natututunan ka sa isang subject tapos wala kang ginagawang
pagchecheat ganon.
⸢ It’s like the feeling is the same as before there’s little percentage of that feeling because I’m
not that accustomed to cheating. I’d rather learn something in a subject rather than cheat. ⸥

R#2: Parang normal nalang po pero may nafefeel naman po akong guilt

⸢ It’s just like normal but I feel a bit of guilt. ⸥

R#3: Wala naman po syempre po lalo ngayon online class. Pero dati po dun po sa mga…
Kunwari po face to face syempre kabado parin, kasi pag nahuli rekta sa office or kung
masuwerte ka man pinagalitan ka lang ng teacher pero pag kwan naman po kagaya nitong
online class parang may nandun parin po yung ano yung takot atsaka yung kaba kasi nga pag
nahuli ganun parin maaring may penalty parin pero parang medyo mas kalmado po ngayon kasi
di po talaga maiiwasan e ang hihirap po talaga ng ganitong sitwasyon. Kumbaga sa panahon po
na ngayon e parang pag nag chicheat ka sa ngayon sa online class ngayon parang medyo mas
kalmado nalang po kesa sa face to face.

⸢ I’m not feeling anything, of course, especially this online class. But before…for example it’s
face to face, of course you’re nervous because if you got caught you’re going straight to the
office, or if you’re lucky you’re just going to get a scold from your teacher. But when it comes to
online class, there’s also that fear and nervousness, because when you got caught, it’s the same,
maybe there are penalty but I’m calmer compared to before because it is inevitable since this
situation is hard (referring to online class). In other words, in this age when you cheat in online
class, you’re calmer compared to face to face. ⸥

R#4: Medyo uncomfortable po pero slight lang tapos medyo slight na guilty lang din po.

⸢ It's a bit uncomfortable but it's just a little bit and then it's also a little bit guilty. ⸥

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R#5: Wala naman po, parang sanay na po kasi
⸢ Nothing, it looks like I'm used to it. ⸥

R#6: Medyo chill-chill nalang po, pero kapag strict po yung teacher kinakabahan din po

⸢ Quite chill, but if the teacher is strict, I get nervous. ⸥

10. What are the benefits that you acquired from cheating?

R#1: Siguro yung ano yung hindi mo talaga nasugatan na mga questions tas nag tanong ka or
nagcheat ka, yun lang yung benefits mo, yun lang yung benefit na makukuha mo sa pagchecheat.

⸢ Maybe the questions that you didn’t answer and you asked someone or cheated, that’s your
only benefit, that’s your only benefit through cheating. ⸥

R#2: Parang high scores po sa exams at quizzes po

⸢ Something like High scores in exams and cheating. ⸥

R#3: Sa tingin ko po yung benefits na nakukuha syempre makukuha mo yung sagot talagang
chamba mo kung makukuha mo yung tamang sagot talaga.

⸢ I think the benefits that you got are of course the questions you got, you’re really lucky if you
got the real answer. t ⸥

R#4:Dagdag score po

⸢Extra score. ⸥

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R#5: I dont get to pass my assignments late

R#6: Kung rush po kasi, parang maipapasa mo on time, parang ganon po. Lalo po kapag
matalino nag-hingian, parang sure na tama yung sagot.

⸢ When it’s rush, it’s like you can can pass it on time. Especially if the person where you got the
answers from is smart, it’s sure that you got the answer correctly. ⸥

11. Have you ever been caught and punished before from cheating?

R#1: Nacaught, pero hindi ko sure kung binawasan yung grade ko or something. Hindi ko sure
kung ako yung pero iaapeal kong isa ako sa mga yon. Ngayon lang rin online class yon, pero
noong face-to-face wala.

⸢ I’ve caught, but I'm not sure if my grade was reduced or something. I'm not sure if it's me but
I'll complain I'm one of them. It's only now that it's an online class, but then face-to-face there
wasn't. ⸥

R#2: Hindi pa naman po

⸢Not yet really. ⸥

R#3: Hindi pa po, hindi pa naman po. Kasi bihira ko naman pong gawin.

⸢No, I have not. Because I rarely do it. ⸥

R#4: No po.

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⸢No ⸥

R#5: Hindi po
⸢ No ⸥

R#6: Hindi po

⸢No. ⸥

11.1 Are there any changes you decided to do after this experience?

R#1: arang sinabi ko sa sarili ko na instead of cheating why be a better person? or mas mag-
aral ng mabuti kesa sa pagchecheat.

⸢ I said to myself that instead of cheating, why be a better person? Or just study hard instead of
cheating. ⸥

12. What is your realization base from your experience in cheating?

R#1: Yun nga na mas bad mag cheat na parang masamang mag cheat talaga.Pero masasabi
nga nila cheating is not a individual work? Oo yon parang yung cheating is ginagawa mong as
a group or teamwork para makapasa kayong lahat pero medyo hindi ako aprubado don.
Talagang masamang magcheat, kasi madaming consequences na mababalik sayo ng
pagchecheat.

⸢ Like I said that cheating is bad. But like everyone said, cheating is not an individual work? ,
like you do cheat as a group or teamwork to make sure you all pass, but I did not fall to that
because cheating is really bad, because there are many consequences that will come back to you
by cheating. ⸥

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R#2: Hindi po talaga po tama kasi parang yung pinagchecheatan ko po is naghihirap po siya sa
sagot tas ako ay nangongopya lang po ganon tas nagsesearch-search lang po

⸢ It’s not really right because like, who I’m cheating with is actually working hard for the
answer and I just copy and search like that. ⸥

R#3: Narealize na mali po yung ginagawa natin na hindi tama ginagawa natin. Narerealize po
natin yun na nandadaya talaga tayo pero marerealize mo rin na paminsan minsan di mo talaga
kayang iwasan lalo na po sa mga sitwasyon na wala ka ng magagawa pero narerealize ko
naman po na yung cheating is pwede naman po nating iwasan kung talagang mag aaral po tayo
ng mabuti e syempre po maiiwasan po natin yung ganung bagay

⸢ I realized that what we’re doing is wrong. We realized that we’re acting unfairly, but we’re
also going to realize that from time to time we can’t avoid it especially in situations where you
have no choice, but I also realized that we can avoid cheating if we’re really going to study
hard, of course you can avoid that sort of thing. ⸥

R#4: Oarang may advantage at disadvantage po pero alam ko pong mali po yung cheating.

⸢ There seems to be advantages and disadvantages but I know cheating is wrong. ⸥

R#5: Hindi naman siya mali, kasi para saakin normal na yun kuya di na yun maalis sa isa tao
na mag cheat.

⸢ It's not wrong, because for me that's normal 'kuya'. That can't be removed from someone
cheating. ⸥

R#6: Minsan po nakokonsensya po. Opo, syempre ayaw na po.

⸢ Sometimes I feel guilty. Yes, of course I don’t want to do it again. ⸥

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 APPENDIX B

INTERVIEW GUIDE

On the study:
CHEATING BEHAVIOR IN EXAMINATION: A STUDY WITH A
PHENOMENOLOGICAL VIEW ABOUT CHEATING”

I. DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE (the respondents’ identities are kept and handled by the
researchers to protect their privacy and respect the confidentiality of their profile)
A. Name of Respondent
B. Age
C. Grade and Strand

II. PRELIMINARIES (the researchers may give supporting questions to dig deeper on
the aims of the study)
-How’s your day?

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-How are you feeling now?
-Are you ready now for the interview?
-What are your views about cheating?
-Are there any instances where you have seen someone cheat?
-When was the first time you engaged in this act?(Cheating)
-What did you feel when you did it for the first time?
-What may be the possible factors or influences that made you do it?
-In what ways did you cheat when the medium of learning was face to face?
-How do you cheat on online classes?
-Are there any similarities of how you cheat before and during online classes?
-How do you feel when you cheat now compared to when you did it for the first time?
-What are the benefits that you acquired from cheating?
-Have you ever been caught and punished before from cheating?
(If yes) Are there any changes you decided to do to after this experience?
(If yes) What was your punishment for cheating?
-What is your realization base from your experience in cheating?

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 APPENDIX C

CONSENT LETTER FOR PARTICIPATION IN RESEARCH INTERVIEW

You are invited to participate in our research study entitled, “CHEATING BEHAVIOR
IN EXAMINATION: A STUDY WITH A PHENOMENOLOGICAL VIEW ABOUT
CHEATING”, that is being conducted by Gabriel Tubig Bravo, Vince Alain Antonio Ferrer,
Dwynette Uzziah Perez Evangelista, and Amador Emmanuel Rivera Casiño who are
currently Grade 11 in STEM curriculum of Tarlac Agricultural University - Laboratory School
Senior High School. The purpose of this research is to identify and gain insight on the students'
perspective towards cheating academically, specifically in examinations. We hope that our
research will assist students and teachers by bringing awareness of the vices and virtues, and the
weight of academic dishonesty.

Your participation in this research study is completely voluntary. You may decline
altogether, or leave blank any questions you don’t wish to answer. We will be using open-ended
questions that was provided by the researchers, the interview will not exceed to 15 minutes and

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we will conduct the interview through google meet or zoom since we are not allowed to see face
to face due to the pandemic covid-19.

The interview will also be recorded by the researchers and if you may seek to have a
copy of your interview you may so. The interview records will be stored in a secured file of one
of the researchers, they are also the only people who can access the file. Your responses will
remain confidential and anonymous. No one other than the researchers will know your individual
answers to this questions. If you have any questions about this project, feel free to
contact Gabriel Tubig Bravo, Vince Alain Antonio Ferrer, Dwynette Uzziah Perez Evangelista,
or Amador Emmanuel Rivera Casiño, through their Facebook Messenger accounts, the four of
the researchers.

CONSENT

I fully understood that they need to know and record my private information’s and my
statements to use in their study. I understand that the study is designed to gather information
regarding the understanding of cheating of individuals of Tarlac Agricultural University. I will
be one of the respondents that will be interviewed for this research. I accept all of the things that
is written in this consent letter, and I have been given a chance to seek the researchers if I have
questions.

I give my consent to participate in this study.

(you can send this letter through the messenger account of the researcher who have contacted you
regarding this consent letter)

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_________________________________ ____________________

Participant’s signature over printed name Date

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