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Fernando Caldona

Mr. Kevin Michael Angelo

ENGL 11-D

7 December 2022

Academic Dishonesty in Higher Education Institutions:

Integrity and the Community

On October 2, 2022, the Professional Regulation Committee (PRC), with the help of

the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) apprehended an individual who had violated the

guidelines of the PRC on the recently concluded October 2022 Licensure Examination for

Professional Teachers by acquiring the services of a proxy examinee who took the exam in

their place. Consequently, both the examinee and proxy examinee face administrative and

criminal charges (Cabato). This caught the attention of social media users for two reasons: 1)

the resemblance of the situation to a scene in the American TV series “Suits” involving the

character Mike Ross who had acted a proxy examinee in the place of others, and, more

relevantly 2) the act in and of itself to hire someone to take an exam of one of the highest

degrees in another’s place, and how ironic it is that it had to be on the licensure examination

for teachers, who are expected to act in an exemplary manner for the future generation.

This begs the question “why would someone act in such a way,” or “is there

something wrong with our system?” All of which are questions this paper will address.

Investigating the problem at the higher education level, as one of the latter stages where

students become more conscious and aware of their career paths and the consequences of

their actions (Batool 1), to ascertain the root of the problem and how it carries over and

escalates in gravity as it progresses into the professional sphere.

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Depending on the academic institution, academic dishonesty can be described in a

number of ways. However, the general consensus is that academic dishonesty or academic

misconduct refers to “any type of cheating that occurs in relation to a formal academic

exercise.” This includes practices of plagiarism, deception, and sabotage among others

(Berkeley City College). With respect to the amount of research that had been conducted on

the issue, it is hardly a recent concern. Although studies regarding academic dishonesty in the

context of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the online learning mode had only just recently been

initiated, the practice of academic dishonesty in and of itself is an issue that had been

observed and studied over many years and could be traced in students from as early as the

elementary level all the way to the doctorate degree (Aguilar 309).

With learning having shifted to the online mode away from the eyes and physical

presence of educators since the start of the pandemic, many assume that academic dishonesty

continued only to become even more widespread. Results of research conducted by Aguilar

affirm this, finding that students, specifically those who are enrolled in the senior high school

and college levels for the academic year 2020-2021 have become more engaged in practices

of academic dishonesty. Accompanying the shift of learning modes were different methods

through which students could practice academic dishonesty. This ranges from traditional

means such as plagiarism and cheating using cheat sheets to more unconventional means that

had risen to prominence during the pandemic such as the use of social media and other text

messaging platforms to receive unauthorized help from third parties during exams or the

writing of papers (San Jose 100). The issue had become so prominent, in fact, that at some

point, it had become a common topic in the news.

For one, an article penned by Bautista in the Inquirer entitled “Distance Learning

Program Gives Rise to Online Cheating,” talks about the formation of online cheating groups

during the pandemic. One such group that had garnered over 600,000 members called
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“Online Kopyahan” got so much attention that it had to be archived and deactivated. “Online

Kopyahan” was a group wherein students would share answers with one another and even go

as far as to write assessments for a given price. The issue escalated to the point that it even

warranted government intervention in the form of the Philippine National Police

(PNP)-Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) supporting the investigation of alleged online cheating

systems (Perez).

There are various reasons as to why one might find themselves engaging in academic

dishonesty. To summarize the testimonies and reports of students and teachers alike regarding

academic dishonesty, a study conducted by Beruin entitled “Influencing Factors and Current

Approaches to Academic Dishonesty in the Philippines during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An

Overview” makes mention of three distinct causes as to why current students would choose to

partake in academic dishonesty. These factors can be divided into two: internal and external

influencing factors.

First and most prominent of the internal factors was “Laziness and Procrastination,”

and in relation, “Poor TIme Management.” Oftentimes, students would be preoccupied

playing with their friends and indulging in social media to such a point that they find

themselves rushing to finish their work right before or during the date of the deadline. A

direct correlation between inability to properly manage time and tendency to commit

plagiarism was emphasized. Other internal factors that were identified by the study included

“Fear of Failure” and “Poor State of Mental Health.” These factors revolved around a student

wanting to meet a set of expectations or maintain an image involving their academic

performance. These factors can come into play in a number of ways, including but not limited

to: motivation, fear, satisfaction, competition with others, self-defecation, and more.

As for the external factors, first was “Overwhelming Number of Tasks and

Underwhelming Teacher Involvements,” which was identified as the reason why the online
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cheating group “Online Kopyahan” was created. In sum, students found it difficult to keep up

with their workload, especially when teachers did not intervene enough in support of the

students. This resulted in students resorting to academically dishonest practices to make the

workload easier for them. Another was “Peer Involvement,” which was by far the most

prominent external influencing factor. The idea was that with others participating in academic

dishonesty, especially peers, a student justifies the act of likewise committing said practices.

The same held true in testimonies reported by Perez.

At this point, one might ask “what is the point,” “so what if students cheat every once

in a while?” Other than the moral and ethical dilemmas surrounding the issue, the prevalence

of academic dishonesty in higher education institutions (HEI) in the Philippines poses

substantial negative implications on the individuals who engage in such practices and

consequently, the communities to which they belong and participate in. On the individual

level, it was found that individuals who practiced forms of academic dishonesty, particularly

plagiarism and cheating during exams, were likely to display unethical behavior in the

workplace (Balbuena 74). A study conducted by Guerrero-Dib et al. concurs, adding that

individuals who commit academic dishonesty regularly are likely to develop a distorted set of

moral standards resulting not only in unethical professional behavior confined to the office

setting, but also corruption on the administrative level of government.

With all this being said, it is pertinent that not only academic institutions and

government agencies act on the issue at hand, but more importantly those individuals who are

tasked with overseeing the growth and development of higher education students. Currently,

the Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is doing what it can to counteract

the proliferation of academic dishonesty cases and systems. In coordination with the Texas

International Education Consortium (TIEC), the CHED is in the process of implementing a

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4-phase program to improve on various aspects of online teaching and learning, including

academic integrity (Charnitski).

There are certain issues with this solution, however. Although it addresses the issue

with respect to the flaws of the education system of the Philippines by improving HEI

resources and systems, it does little to address the leading contributor to the issue, which is

individual behavioral flaws including but not limited to the lack of a firm foundation on

responsibility and time management skills or techniques as described by Beruin. The problem

is one that is caused and manifested in students and their friend groups. Hence, a solution

must be oriented in such a way that it targets said individuals and their relationships.

In that respect, the writer proposes that CHED, HEIs, and DepEd invest in and

implement more holistic and comprehensive student-development programs. Programs that

do not simply orient students on prohibited practices of academic dishonesty and discourage

them from engaging in them (DepEd), but instill and develop in them the values of

responsibility and academic integrity on a personal and communal level by adjusting student

development programs accordingly. If you are a teacher, involve yourself more with your

students and make learning the goal over grades. Go beyond just seeking academic

excellence in numbers and strive for the development of their character for integrity to

manifest. The same holds true especially for parents in that it is pivotal for parents, peers, and

other influencers to facilitate the development of responsibility and proper time management

skills in their children from a young age, holding character in as high of a regard as grades.

The issue is not one that can be eliminated overnight. With how poor the quality of

education in the Philippines is, for the most part, it may persist indefinitely moving forward.

However, this should not discourage but rather motivate small steps to minimizing it; be it

through heuristic shifts in teachers, active participation in and through conferences on the

parent’s part, or relevant feedback through the course and faculty feedback of students.
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References:

Batool, S. S., & Ghayas, S. (2020). Process of career identity formation among adolescents:

components and factors. Heliyon, 6(9), e04905.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04905

San Jose, A. E. (2022). Academic Integrity of Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A

Mixed Method Analysis. European Journal of Education and Pedagogy, 3(4),

97–103. https://doi.org/10.24018/ejedu.2022.3.4.400

Balbuena, S., & Lamela, R. (2015). Prevalence, Motives, and Views of Academic Dishonesty

in Higher Education. Asia Pacific Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, 3(2),

ED575015. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED575015.pdf

Bautista, Jane. “Distance Learning Program Gives Rise to Online Cheating.” Inquirer, 20

September 2021,

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1489984/distance-learning-program-gives-rise-to-online-

cheating. Accessed 12 November 2022.

Perez, Ace June. “Bayanihan or Kopyahan? The Rise of Online Academic Cheating Groups.”

SunStar [Davao], 5 December 2021,

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1915055/davao/local-news/bayanihan-or-kopyaha

n-the-rise-of-online-academic-cheating-groups. Accessed 12 November 2022.

Cabato, Luisa. “Board exam taker who hired ‘proxy’ faces administrative charge from PRC.”

Manila Bulletin, 19 October 2022,

https://mb.com.ph/2022/10/19/board-exam-taker-who-hired-proxy-faces-administrativ

e-charge-from-prc/. Accessed 10 November 2022.

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Beruin, Laurence. “Influencing Factors and Current Approaches to Academic Dishonesty in

the Philippines during the COVID-19 Pandemic: an Overview.” Journal of Learning

Theory and Methodology, vol. 3, no. 3, 2022, pp. 109-117.

Aguilar, Mark Gabriel. “Academic Dishonesty in the Philippines: The Case of 21st Century

Learners and Teachers.” International Journal of Management, Technology, and

Social Sciences, vol. 6, no. 1, 2021, pp. 306-313.

Guerrero-Dib, Jean et al. “Impact of Academic Integrity on Workplace Ethical Behavior.”

International Journal for Educational Integrity, vol. 16, no. 2, 2020, pp. 1-18.

What is academic dishonesty? (n.d.). Berkeley City College. Retrieved December 1, 2022,

from https://www.berkeleycitycollege.edu/de/what-is-academic-dishonesty/

Charnitski, A. (2021, October 7). News Alert: TIEC and the Philippine Commission on

Higher Education Continue Collaboration to Build Capacity For Quality Flexible

Learning. Texas International Education Consortium.

https://www.tiec.org/news/elearning-philippines-ched-phase2

DepEd provides field offices guidance to promote honesty. (2021, September 30). DepEd.

Retrieved November 27, 2022 from

https://www.deped.gov.ph/2021/09/30/deped-provides-field-offices-guidance-to-prom

ote-honesty/