Ilorin, Nigeria – Prof. Onimisi Abdullah of the Department of Social Science Education at the University of Ilorin has revealed that male students exhibit a higher tendency to cheat in examinations than their female counterparts. He shared this finding during the university’s 266th lecture, where he presented a paper titled “A Psychological Perspective on the Systemic Inconsistencies in the Nigerian Educational System.”
Prof. Abdullah’s research aimed to explore the psychology of students and their developmental tendencies, particularly examining the link between background variables and cheating tendencies among students in Nigerian federal universities. His study involved 268 final-year students who participated in a 50-item developmental psychology test.
The results showed that 70.5% of students displayed cheating behaviors, with males being more likely to cheat than females. He also noted that cheating tendencies were more prevalent among lower-achieving students, suggesting a direct relationship between academic ability and the motivation to cheat.
Interestingly, the research highlighted a paradox: despite students’ negative attitudes toward cheating, their actions reflected the opposite. Prof. Abdullah recommended a shift towards more objective assessment methods rather than relying solely on written examinations and emphasized the need for the government to implement a functional educational policy rooted in African values and ethics.
(NAN)