ASSESSMENT OF THE CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The issue of examination malpractice has become a rampant phenomenon, which has led to problem of educational system in Nigeria today. It has eaten so deep into every aspect of the economy because education is the bedrock upon which any country or society can be developed. Infact, many educational authorities of Nigeria schools are now with the mentality that the best way to make their students to excel is by cheating in examination malpractice can be defined as an illegal or unethical behavior by somebody in the process of testing an examinee's ability or knowledge. It can also be stated as any means which a students device to pass an examination Dubi (2006) defined examination malpractice as any irregular behaviour exhibited by a candidate or anybody charged with the conduct of examination before, during or after the examination which contravene the rules and regulations governing the conduct of such examination. The incidence of examination malpractice practice has witnessed increasing trend and this is invariably due to the candidate's fear of failure, lack of confidence, inadequate preparation and laziness. The bad habit has eaten very deep into our society. Infact examination malpractice is a cankerworm that portend grave danger for the nation. However, examination plays a very important roles in our educational system. It is used for the measurement and evaluation of students. Examination provides the learner with knowledge of his/her achievement in relation to desire objective thus acting, as reinforcement and enabling him/her to take whatever remedial action may be needed. It is also used to diagnose learners difficulties, weakness and deficiencies in learning. It offers the learners a realistic awareness of his intellectual status among his peers infact, in Nigeri1a, examination is currently used in predicting a student's future academic behaviour.

Actually, examination can be used in so many other area, but today this monster (examination malpractice) has destroyed educational system of instructing or training the young people on how to develop and use their mental, moral, and physical power. Examination malpractice has planted the seed of unethical values in the fertile mind of the students. The problematic phenomenon has a free region amount to support and enabling our environment to get destroyed where by our future leaders, such as doctors, civil servants, bankers, politicians, accountants, journalist, and professors are forged on the fraudulent foundation of examination malpractice. This has serious social, political and economic consequence not just for a country but also for the world at large. But educational system must rise above moral decadence since it holds the only hope for the transformation of the youth and for the future of political, social and economic sanity

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The researcher noticed the rate increase in students' involvement in examination malpractice in higher institutions is alarming. From the background of the study it has also be discovered that examination plays a prominent roles in our educational system. Since it holds the only hope for the transformation of the youths and serves as the medium in which Nigeria used in predicting a student's future academic behaviour, examination malpractice has to be death with. The major problem of examination malpractice in College of Education Yola as a case study of this research is that most of the students paid less attention to their study but spend most of their time in Worldly pleasure. And thereby planned on how they can cheat in examination because it has so eaten into their blood. This could be because they have not really faced the deadly consequence of examination malpractice.

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The objectives of this study are to find out if:-

To find out causes of examination mal-practice of students in FCE Yola.

To find out the effects of examination mal-practice of students in FCE Yola.

To bring out ways and means of eradicating examination mal-practice in higher institution of learning.

RESEARCH QUESTION

What are the causes of examination malpractice in FCE Yola?

What are the effect of examination malpractice of students in FCE Yola?

What area the means of eradicating examination malpractice in high institution?

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY 

This study is significant not only to the researcher, but also to the school authorities and the general public. It will expose some of the major causes of examination mal-practice in higher intuition of learning and in the nation at large. This would go a long way in helping educational planners and professionals academics to find out lasting solution to this menace.

SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The study is centered on the causes and effects of examination malpractice in FCE Yola. The study will ascertain how examination malpractice has affected educational system in Nigeria, students academic performance and the measures to be taken to avoid its spread especially in the study area. The scope of this study will focus on the performance of students in school and also ascertain the cause and effect of examination malpractice in the area study particularly in FCE Yola. The researcher will like this research work to cover all the institutions in the state, but due to inadequate fund and time, the research work will be limited to only Federal College of Education, Yola, Adamawa State.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

For proper conceptualization and operationalization, the following terms are based defined operationally to give meaning within the context of the study:-

Causes:- Person, event or things that make something to happen. Examination Malpractice:- Any act of violating rule of examination.

Examination Mal-Practice in General: Early efforts on examination cheating were concerned with identifying those demographic personality and situation variable that predispose a student to cheat.

Giraffe: This is the involvement of one examinee turning or stretching neck to read or check the seript of another examinee with the aiming of copying. ECOMOG: (Mass cheating). This is a massive agreement among candidates to assist one another in the examination hall. 

Wetie: This is collusion between candidates and officials, where candidates make advance monetary or materials inducements to examiners or officials for undue favour.

Assault and Intimidation: These are practice whereby the candidates create confusion and commotion to create conducive atmosphere for their time. 

Tatoo: Is an act of writing on palm, lap or any part of the body and thereafter referred to such writing inside the examination hall.