An anonymous survey by Harvard's newspaper has revealed a surprising pattern of academic dishonesty among students entering the US university.
The survey by The Harvard Crimson was emailed to incoming first year undergraduates; 1,600 students responded. Results showed that at least a tenth of the students polled admitted to having cheated on an exam prior to starting at the university, while almost half admitted to cheating on their homework.
Athletes were apparently the most prone to cheating. 20 percent of students who played a university sport admitted to cheating on an exam compared to 9 percent of students who did not. The survey also revealed that men were not only more likely to cheat but were also more likely to admit to it.
The results, compared to a previous survey done on the class of 2013, suggested that cheating may be becoming more commonplace. Of the outgoing seniors only 7 percent admitted to cheating in an exam and another 7 percent said they had been dishonest on a take-home test. 32 percent of the seniors said they had cheated on homework during their undergraduate years.
The surveys come in the wake of a cheating scandal at the university which saw 120 students investigated for sharing answers on an exam in 2012. One recent graduate stated: “Cheating was commonplace when I was at Harvard, especially with students in their first year or two. I would say as many as 60 per cent of students took notes into some exams. No one really cared and the faculty, well some of them at least, seemed to recognise and yet ignore the problem”.
In an email to NBC News, Jeff Neal, a Harvard representative, explained that a committee, made up of faculty, staff and students had been established to tackle cheating, which “is a national problem in American education”.
He added: “While the vast majority of Harvard and other students do their work honestly, beginning this year Harvard College has implemented a new, more robust strategy of communicating with all students, particularly first-year students, about the importance – and the ways to achieve – academic integrity.”
In a rebuff to critics who say university has become little more than an expensive party, 84 per cent of the responding undergraduates fully expected to prioritise their academics over extracurricular activities, sport, employment and their social lives. Not a single student put academics at the bottom of their list. Not content with confining themselves to their degree subject, 59 percent of incoming students expressed a desire to pursue a secondary field of study, and 36 percent hoped to learn a language.
据英国《每日电讯》报道，哈佛大学的报纸进行的一项匿名调查揭示了一个出人意料的事实，那就是进入美国大学的学生中存在学术上不诚实的行为。
发起该调查的哈佛大学报 《哈佛深红》 （The Harvard Crimson）将问卷通过电子邮件发送给即将进入第一年学习的本科生。有1600 名学生作出回应。调查结果显示， 参与调查的人中有1/10的人承认进入大学之前就曾在考试中作弊， 而几乎有一半人承认在功课上作弊。
运动员显然是最容易作弊的。那些参加高校体育项目的学生有20％承认在考试中作弊， 相比之下，不参加任何体育项目的学生作弊率则为9％。该调查还表明，男性不但更容易作弊而且也更可能承认。
与此前针对2013班级所做的调查相比，该次调查结果表明作弊现象可能会越来越普遍。即将离校的高年级学生只有7％的人承认在考试中作弊，另有7％表示他们曾在带回家的测试中有不诚实行为。32％的高年级学生表示曾经在读本科期间在功课上作弊。
该调查发起于哈佛大学的一次作弊丑闻。当时，120名学生因为在2012年的一次考试 中相互借鉴答案而受到审查。一个刚毕业的大学生说：“我在哈佛的时候，作弊是司空见惯的事情，尤其是在学生读第一年或第二年期间。我要说多达60％的学生 曾在一些考试中作小抄。没有人真正在意。而且教师们（至少他们中的一些人），似乎注意到此现象，但却置之不理 ”。
哈佛大学的代表杰夫尼尔（Jeff Neal) 在给NBC (美国国家广播公司）新闻部门的一封电子邮件中解释说，已成建一个由教职员工和学生组成的委员会，目的是整治作弊现象。作弊已成为美国教育中的一个全国性问题。
他还说道：“尽管绝大多数的哈佛和其他学校学生是老老实实做自己功课的，从今年开始哈佛学院要实施一个新的、更强大的战略用来与所有学生，尤其一年级的学生，沟通关于学术诚信的重要性，以及如何实现学术诚信。
调查结果对于那种说哈佛大学无异于一个昂贵聚会的批评作出反驳。84％的受访大学生完 全是计划优先考虑他们的学术，而课外活动、体育、就业和社会生活则为次要。没有一个学生将学术列在他们任务清单的底部。由于不满足于局阴在自己的专业上， 有59％的新生表示出一个愿望， 就是他们要从事其他领域的研究。 有36％的人希望学习一门语言。