- It’s natural for parents to react with horror when told their child cheated in school, but new research reveals the line between right and wrong in the classroom is often hazy for young children.
- Many parents overreact or misread the motivations of small children, say researchers and educators, when it is actually more important to explore the underlying cause.
- First- and second-graders are often taught to work together and share ideas in small classroom groups. When told they must start working independently, "it's naturally confusing to a 7-year-old"...
- By fifth grade, "peer pressure to cheat is huge. If somebody asks you for answers and you don't share them, it can be a major offense among the kids" ....
- Children with poor study skills or learning disabilities are especially vulnerable; poor impulse control is linked with a higher readiness to cheat...
- Cheating rates rise through middle school and by high school, 51% of students admit to cheating on a test in the past year, and 74% say they have copied another student's homework, according to a 2012 survey of 23,000 high-school students...
Read the WSJ article by Sue Shellenbarger here.
