A Representation of Academic Dishonesty in Learning Style Culture as an Education System Failure: A Brief Comparison between America and Indonesia

Introduction

Education is one of the most important parts in life. Through education, we can easily know how people’s characters are built. One says that to recognize the culture’s society we can use education as a measurement. It means that education has a big role and influence to form people characters of a state or country. The more develop education is, the more develop people are.

In other case, education–in all aspects—remains complicated in every country nowadays. The point of formal education is teaching and the point of teaching process is student’s learning. The last word, learning, in practical term of education, considers having lots of barrier in its implementation. One of the implications of the barriers is academic dishonesty. This term has globally become consideration for the stakeholders of education. And this, academic dishonesty, will be discussed more in this research.

We know that learning as process through which experience causes permanent change in knowledge or behavior (Woolfolk, 1995) is not as simply as reversing palm of hand. More than that, the culture, the value and expectation in surrounding, and the way or style’s people (students) learns effect on what we called the process of learning. Explicitly, it shows that learning style, socialization, habit, situation and condition can influence the learning achievement. And become carefulness for us if the achievement is fail, the term academic dishonesty can unpredictably happen. Actually, the points mentioned are more likely a gate to emerge academic dishonesty. 
There are some definitions given to academic dishonesty. Academic dishonesty is a form of cheating that occurs within an educational setting. It includes plagiarism, data falsification and contract cheating (www.wikipedia.com). While, U.S. Army ROTC regulations state "cheating" and "any forms of academic dishonesty" are indicators of "undesirable character" that can result in "disenrollment" from the program. At all cost, academic dishonesty includes "cheating" and "plagiarism," the theft of ideas and other forms of intellectual property—whether they are published or not (Jones, 2001).

From the definition, we can make an conclusion that academic dishonesty is merely a fraudulent in education field which has no benefit at all neither for the achievement of study or for the future of life. However, the point that needs to be revealed is, what causes for all this academic dishonesty. Why people do academic dishonesty? Moreover, what is the motif or background for doing that? These bunches of question will take us to the main of the research.

We all agree that academic dishonesty is a kind of violation system (Levine & Adelman, 1993). It stands in school institution whether high school or university. Since it is a violation, it also breaks the system of honor and in further stands in under of a system in education. This is very serious problem. In the United State of America, honor system considers as a high value and expectation so that is why they hold on stick to trust, honest, and respect between the components of school or let say teacher and students. Moreover, America is also known-well for its indicative cultural values. They has had given autonomy and independence for their children in infant which has made them responsible for their own living space and the part of the space is school or university. In this case, academic dishonesty is viewed as bad things to be done. But lately the fact says different for the notion. In a 2002 plagiarism scandal at the University of Virginia, 45 students were expelled and three graduates' degrees were revoked (www.answer.com). It means that the culture that belongs to Asian is also earned by America.

In a contrary, Indonesia has no such things called given autonomy or independence for the children. They are dependent: to the family, neighborhood, and their surrounding including school. They way Indonesian learn is enormously different too from US. They rather formal in the class; hierarchy all over the place; no relax situation within the teaching; and for the important thing, as a teacher student’s relationship, there is no equality among them. Regarding to the academic dishonesty, as a guide in teaching, Indonesia do not proper a policies and rules that bind the learning process. In other words, cheating, plagiarism and so on, become usual habit and ordinary things in this neighborhood.

Therefore, this research will find out what makes this academic dishonesty emerge within the surroundings. Is it true that culture upon the entire problem, or it’s just merely the education system failure?

Finding and Discussion

Since there are findings regarding to academic dishonesty in line with theory and some aspects upon it, this point will further delineates the whole part of the study.

Often people ask: Where does the academic dishonesty come from? Frankly speaking, I make an association –as critical analysis of- from the entire source. Here, academic dishonesty can be seen in two perspectives that are intrinsic and extrinsic. From intrinsic perspective side, academic dishonesty comes from unself-estemness of the learners or students in the learning process. It also causes why someone dare to do cheating. In the research, Scbah (1980) has found the three reasons why someone does cheating, namely: (1) lazy to study, (2) fear of failure, and (3) parental pressure for good grades. Obviously, these three reasons can occur in every culture either America or Indonesia.

Within the problem, Schab also give some ways of prevention for students to do the cheating that more likely hold on teacher belongings, such as teacher should:

(1)   try to avoid putting students in high press situation;

(2)  make sure they are well prepared in an examination or assignments;

(3)  make extra help for students in learning process; and

(4)  have a clear the policies regarding to examination or assignments given.

Intertwined with the perspective, I assume that self–esteem includes to intrinsic one. Some students do have motif why they do cheating. As I’ve mentioned above, laziness and fear of failure can be motifs they do the academic dishonesty. In addition, plagiarism, a serious crime, is other academic dishonesty. Too many students stumble into plagiarism unawares, because they have never learned how to use sources properly, and sometimes even because they have been taught that research [in high school] means plagiarism" (White, 1993). Different from the two reason, parental pressure for good grades are more likely to be the extrinsic reason why student do the academic misconduct.

At al cost, intrinsic factors are usually the best motivators for mature people. People who take a pride in their own wok and skills will enforce good quality practice standards upon themselves, they will set good standards for other and they will follow safe working practices. (Kogan, 1995). Whatever it says, academic dishonesty can make students harm by their own decision for doing unrespectful action. 

In other justification, learning-style-culture, more or less, influences students for doing academic dishonesty. America has a value system to view rules. From to beginning, in their growth, they has been taught to respect someone property. (But even lately, and its hardly to imagine that, in certain circumstances American also do the academic dishonesty). Trust and honest is an important expectation in America education. To do violation under the honor system would be not tolerated and predict to have disrespectfulness from the surroundings. Violation of the honor system can result in failing a course, having a permanent record of the violation in the student’s file, or even being suspended or expelled from the university (Levine & Adelman: 1993, p. 212).  

Comparing to eastern culture (Indonesia), they precisely do not have culture to view respectfulness toward people –in education context. I mean, since children do not taught how to respect other’s work and –in addition- the self-independence did not built since their infant, makes their living space too independent for someone help. In fact, we felt that lots of academic dishonest stands in its learning process. Cheating and plagiarism has become ordinary problem beyond them. This problem, of course, is based on social and educational background. Family as a little scope in education can be one of the self-former to someone’s characteristic. Indonesia actually don’t have a value to autonomy and independence as way to noticing value and expectation in education. Neighborhood or school environment is also justified as one that effects someone’s learning style. Indeed, as my assumption arouse, Schab’s research can globally become the one reference of why someone do academic dishonest (cheating). It emerges from laziness, lack of self-esteem, parental pressure.

In Indonesia, students cheat because there are no strict policies or rules that bind them practically. This policies or rules are more likely seen as a law. And we know vividly that there are no such things called law obedient among the people nowadays.

From the Beyond language Book written by Levine and Adelman (1993), I make some lists about learning style culture between America and Indonesia as a comparison.

American Learning Style Culture	Indonesia Learning Style Culture
– Active participation – Discussion emphasizes in class – Informal teaching – Student contribution – Dependent learning – Equality among Teacher- student’s relationship – Students presentation & teacher manages the class – Students is more initiative  – Students is motivated to learn not only by grade – Relax is conducive learning	– Passive participation (spoon feeding) – Teacher is lecturing; students is listening – Formal learning (rigid) and seems under pressure –   Independent learning – Hierarchy binding the relationship between teacher and students – “Waiting for ball” – Students prefer to grade orientation rather than motivation to understand knowledge.

From the table we can infer that American and Indonesian learning style culture is enormously different. Teacher as the whole source of knowledge maybe true in Indonesia context -even till now- despite government try to make perfect education system such as school-based curriculum. All efforts were conduct to achieve the successness education in Indonesia although the reality did not tell so. I think, yes, we must turn out the new page of life and seek for the worth of how education –include the aspect that related- is delivered.

Back to the main discussion, the notion that people from different cultural backgrounds have different styles of learning seems so reasonable, so intuitively sensible, that it is hard to believe that it is just not true. But after more than 25 years of research on cultural differences in learning styles, psychologists have been unable to show that one method of teaching works better for children of one cultural group while a different method of teaching works better for children of a different cultural group (Kleinfeld, 1969)

McCabe & Trevino (1996) suggest that the most important question to ask concerning academic dishonesty may be how an institution can create an environment where academic dishonesty is socially unacceptable. What is needed, therefore, is cultural management -- academic climate control, if you will -- that will "promote and expect academic integrity and... help students develop the values needed to deal effectively with the moral and ethical dilemmas facing them" (Kibler, 1994 Winter, p. 93). Such a shift will require support from key administrators and should feature significant student involvement (Alschuler & Blimling, 1995 Fall).

This last quotation is in line with what I have showed in the table. And as a suggestion, this is what we have to consider to–at least—decrease the pride of academic dishonesty that has been too far followed.

Actually cheating or even plagiarism is not merely students fault. Why? Because cheating, as Burton (1963) explains, is more likely to particular situation, not general honesty.  It means that students will cheat if he or she realizes that the situation is conducive enough to attain the cheating. In this matter, education system must accommodate and resemble the problem. Hence, policies are great deed to conquer academic dishonesty. In America, teachers pay more attention to this problem. While in Indonesia, I even haven’t heard that a school makes rules to solve and preserve this academic dishonesty –at least cheating. I assume this as unawareness of education system regarding to the problem. And the question is, have the government aware this problem of academic dishonesty? If the answer is yes, it means that my statement about the system of education failure is not merely boasting.      

Conclusion and Suggestion

 

As a conclusion, education is not merely achieve good grades but also mastering and owning the knowledge. All stakeholders in education should consider the problem of this academic dishonesty because however academic dishonesty is as a set of deliberate, unacceptable behaviors (Kaplin & Lee, 1995).

Everybody should be taught not to cheat from the school days because the problem is not how success you’ve done in the first time, but the most probable thing is that you will repeat the act again and again; and if you are doing this very often, it could bring serious consequences in both the short and the long term.

There are also big consequences for the cheaters. You may graduate from school or university by cheating, but when you will be asked to use your knowledge in other situations, as for example at work, if you didn't learn much in the university because you are a cheater, how would you solve problems, give ideas, behave in a meeting or perform in general on your job?

I suggest that we have to turn it all back to the nature of trust and honest as the honor system where–in this case–surroundings has an obligation to endeavor the achievement of education (learning) and its system.                      

Understanding the reasons for why students cheat also can be helpful in forming a picture of academic dishonesty.  Reasons for cheating include:

• Students today have less loyalty to the academic institution so that cheating is more impersonal and seen as less painful because of this detachment.
• The competitive job market places great importance on a high GPA which means that any means necessary will be used to achieve good grades.
• Some students feel that teachers are cheating them in the classroom by ignoring their teaching responsibilities.  Students adopt the attitude that turnabout is fair play.
• New students feel overwhelmed with their course work so they resort to cheating to achieve good grades.

As a suggestion, below are lists of steps that we can use as prevention to academic dishonesty:

• Inform students of academic standards for scholarship and conduct.
• Explain how cheating harm students and describe campus sanctions.
• Minimize the opportunities for cheating and plagiarism.
• Take visible actions to detect dishonesty so that students know you will not tolerate cheating. (Even if you don't actually carry out all the actions you say you will take, honest students will appreciate knowing that you care enough about academic integrity to take precautions.)
• If cheating occurs, respond swiftly with disciplinary measures and formal action. (Davis, 1993)
• Teacher should make a strict rules and policies in examination or assignment given so that it can diminish cheating around the students.

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It is a research. Taken from folder when I was in college. (Fim Anugrah, 2005)