Academic Dishonesty in the Philippines: The Case of 21st Century Learners and Teachers

Abstract

Purpose: Studies revealed that in the eyes of teachers, online education leads to more academic dishonesty, however, this study does not intend to justify that it is more prevalent in this mode of learning compared with physical classes. Nevertheless, the world has shifted to a modern learning approach called online education when the pandemic brought significant changes in people’s lives, and that the respondents of this study were students who during the data gathering procedure are enrolled in courses that utilize online learning approach and “academic servers” who during the same process are offering their services to students enrolled in the same mode of learning. This has led to this study that primarily aims to explore the industry of academic servicing that is believed to be a platform where academic dishonesty is tolerated and widely practiced amidst the new normal. Design/Methodology/Approach: This study has focused on 650 members of three groups in social media that promotes academic servicing where students can transact with people who offers their services in doing students’ academic requirements. The researcher utilized a qualitative-descriptive research approach whereas Semi-Structured interviews have been conducted and coding has been performed to analyze the data collected. Findings/Result: Results show that there is lack of discipline among students of the 21st century, particularly students who have enrolled during academic year 2020-2021, whereas, it is in the Senior High School Level and College Level where academic dishonesty is most prevalent. It was revealed that the key players in this “industry” aside from these students includes private and public-school teachers, unemployed senior high school and college graduates, and industry professionals. Most people who offer their services to do students’ academic requirements who are called academic servers are teachers, and they usually earn between Php. 1,500.00 and Php. 20,000.00 on a weekly basis from their clients who pay an average of Php. 500.00 per work. The top reasons why students engage in academic dishonesty are the overwhelming workload which is linked to poor time management, inability to independently study which is linked to poor or zero understanding on lessons and low support from teachers and parents, laziness, influence of peers, and pressure to get good grades, while the main motivation of academic servers in offering their services to students is to earn money, though some have expressed that at the same time, they would like to help struggling students. Results of this study shows low quality of education in the country and poor integrity of graduates of school year 2020-2021, and indicates clear violation of the code of ethics for professional teachers. Originality/Value: This study explored a problem in education that has been poorly addressed in the Philippines over the years. This study shows low quality of education in the country and poor integrity of graduates of school year 2020-2021, and indicates clear violation of the code of ethics for professional teachers. Results also questions the effectiveness of online learning in the Philippines, which the researcher believes to be relevant today as educational institutions shifted to online classes. Paper Type: Exploratory Research