Have you ever felt unprepared? Perhaps you had a presentation, test, race, or an interview that you didn’t have enough time or information to adequately get ready for. Did you feel anxious?
Kids often feel anxious about math tests. Their anxiety is heightened if they don’t feel confident they will be able to answer the test questions. If they are stressed about a poor grade they might be tempted to cheat.
Most teachers and parents value academic honesty and honor. If kids are caught cheating they may get a failing grade on the test, get suspended, or worse. Unfortunately, they rarely get caught. In fact, about 43% of 16-17 year olds admit to having cheated. http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=131890&page=1
Solutions to Overcome 6 Common Risk Factors for Cheating
Risk Factor #1
The student has cheated before, and not gotten caught, or didn’t suffer major consequences. The more often children get away with cheating, the more likely they are to see it as a viable alternative to studying. This creates a perpetual cycle because when children get rewarded for cheating instead of learning, they begin to lose confidence in their ability to learn, and they lose the discipline of working for their grades
Solution ideas:
Have a conversation with your children about academic integrity. Give them full amnesty for any past transgressions so they can be completely honest without repercussions.
You might be surprised that you and your child don’t even have the same definition and perception of cheating. They may not even consider it as an issue of right and wrong, but instead an issue of weighing the rewards and risks. Students' perceptions of the morality will affect their propensity for cheating on math tests.
Ask your kids questions like:
· What do you consider cheating? Is it cheating to use a calculator on a math test? Is it cheating to look at the test on the same unit that the teacher gave last year? Is it cheating to take a peek at your neighbor’s paper?
· Do you know anyone who has cheated? Did they get away with cheating? What do you think of what happened?
· Have you ever cheated or considered cheating before? Why did you cheat or decide not to cheat? Would you make the same choice again?
· Make sure you explain how cheating will damage their confidence and if they get caught it will damage their reputation.
Explain clearly your own expectations regarding academic integrity and what you feel is cheating and what is not. Make clear your expectations going forward and what the consequences will be if you find out your child cheated. If they do cheat (again), they should have a major consequence so that they perceive the risks as outweighing the rewards. Mathnasium of Littleton helps kids develop skills and confidence in math, which will help break the cycle, too.
Risk Factor #2
There is a lack of supervision before and during the test, reducing the risk of getting caught.
Solution ideas:
Reduce the temptation for cheating and send a clear message that cheating is unacceptable. If you are a teacher, set clear guidelines about what is allowed. Then monitor the class closely as kids take the test, walking up and down the aisles.
Parents don’t have control over how the math teacher monitors the class during tests. You can, however, volunteer to help in the classroom. This helps over-extended teachers in many ways and gives you a chance to observe your child in the classroom.
The best way for you to help your child reduce the temptation of cheating is by helping your child prepare for the math test. If your child is worried about a math test coming up, read our article, A Step-by-Step Plan to Rock Your Math Final and share ideas with your child.
Risk Factor #3
The student perceives the results of the test as having major implications. Adults and kids rarely agree what constitutes a major implication. A child may feel like getting grounded from a party is a big deal, the parent probably doesn’t.
Solution ideas:
Reduce the stress associated with the grade on a math test or class. Parents who say things like, “I will take your phone away for a week if you get anything less than a B on your math test,” or “I will give you $20 if you get an A on your math test” may think they are motivating their child, but it often backfires. The child might get the message the parent values the grade more than the learning. This could create an attitude where a child is tempted to choose cheating over studying to get a good grade.
You might be thinking, “How can I motivate my child to study if I don’t offer a reward or a punishment?” While extrinsic rewards and punishments can be powerful motivators, they are not ideal for fostering a love of learning. If you want to offer an incentive, make it small, like getting an ice cream together.
If they don’t do well, instead of punishing them, offer to help them study for the next test. Better yet, offer to bring them to our center for extra math instruction from the experts.
If you don’t have any control over what’s at stake for the test, such as when a child takes the SAT, start talking about preparation well in advance. The more students study and prepare, the more in control they will feel about the outcome of the test. This reduces stress and therefore reduces cheating.
Risk Factor #4
Student is competing with peers.
Solution ideas:
Keep competition at healthy levels. Some kids compete for getting the best grades. Math tests are especially tempting for kids to compete about because they are graded objectively. It is easier to see who got a higher score on a math test than on an essay. Competing with others can be a healthy way for peers to motivate each other. However, if the spirit of the competition turns negative, kids may cheat at a test to “win.”
If you have a competitive child, encourage him or her to only compete with themselves, or to compete in hours of focused studying rather than the grade. Grades should be a reflection of learning, not “winning” or “losing.”
Risk Factor #5
Student feels pressure from adults to perform at a certain level.
Solution ideas:
Encourage kids to ask for help on a math topic before the test. Discuss the importance of learning from mistakes, working hard, and asking questions rather than the grade. Some kids are so worried about appearing smart and high-achieving that they will cheat before they admit that they don’t understand something or that they need help.
Risk Factor #6
Student does not feel capable of learning the material.
Solution ideas:
Get them the help they need to learn the material. At Mathnasium of Littleton we give kids the skills they need to do well on math tests. With the increased confidence in their abilities, they won’t feel the need to cheat.
Do you want your child to walk into their next math test so confident that cheating never crosses their mind? We do, too. Give us a call today at 303-979-9077 to learn more about our program.
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