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Education: Values and Expectations
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Trust, Honesty and the Honor System
Trust is an important expectation in American education. The “honor system”, imposed by the teacher and the school, demands that the student be honest in all areas of schoolwork. Violation of the honor system can result in failing a course, having a permanent record of violation in the student’s files, and even being suspended or expelled from the university. Many students are also aware that can jeopardize their rapport with fellow students if they are dishonest. Students who cheat may lose the respect of other students, particularly those who study for exams and work independently. Some instructors leave their classrooms when students are taking an exam. They may or may not say, “I expect you all to abide by the honor system” (which means, “Don’t cheat! ”). Even if words are not stated, the student is expected to work alone and not share answers.
In one midwestern university handbook the following behaviours are listed as examples of academic dishonesty:
Plagiarism – using other people’s work and submitting it as your own without citing the source.
Cheating – this includes tests, take-home exams, and papers submitted for credit.
Fabrication – reporting false or inaccurate data.
Aiding …dishonesty – knowingly providing information to another student that would be used dishonestly.
Falsification of records and official documents – this includes forging signatures or falsifying information on academic documents.
College officials take these rules seriously and punish accordingly. Plagiarism, or presenting another’s ideas (either in written or oral form) as one’s own, is a concept tied to cultural beliefs. Americans believe in respect for other people’s property, and this includes their ideas as well as their research. Many students from other countries do not share similar ideas about private property, especially private property in the form of ideas or research. Still, they have to adapt to the rules of their college or university.
Students from countries where “beating system” is a survival technique have to adjust to the fact that in the United States any kind of falsification of official school documents is considered dishonest and is punishable.
(Deene R. Levine, Mara B. Adelma. “Beyond Language Cross-Cultural Communication. ”)
a) Matching.
1) jeopardize a) the act of being deceitful
2) expelled b) forced out
3) plagiarism c) the act of providing false information
4) cheating d) to expose to danger
5) falsification e) using another’s words or ideas without giving proper
reference
6) violation f) unwilling
7) cooperative g) related to or characterized by rivalry
8) competitive h) the breaking or infringement of a rule or law
9) reluctant i) characterized by desire to work together
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b) Comprehension and Discussion Questions.
1) What might be a result of the violation of the honor system?
a) a student’s failing a course;
b) a permanent record of the violation in a student’s file;
c) suspension or expulsion from the university;
d) all of the above.
2) What are the examples of academic dishonesty?
3) When international students are accused of plagiarism, is it always because of dishonesty? What is another possible cause that the authors give?
4) The authors say that the “honor system” is imposed by the teacher and the school. In your culture, do university students expect to be trusted? Explain.
5) Reread the list of examples of academic dishonesty. Are these acts considered dishonest in your country of origin? What are the consequences of breaking these rules in your own country?
6) How can cultural background affect the way that students understand academic rules? Give specific examples, using the text as your guide.
c) Conversation Activities. Role-Playing: Teacher-Student Relationships.
In pairs or in small groups, discuss what the student and /or teacher should do in the following situations. Then act out a dialogue about one of the situations. Make sure that you have a clear solution to each problem.
a) A student and a teacher are close friends outside the class. They have coffee together often, and even go out to movies and restaurants. Nevertheless, the student receives a D as the final grade for the course. The student feels that the teacher should change the grade to a C or a B.
b) A teacher is correcting examinations and notices that three students all have the same wrong answers for every question. It is obvious that these students cheated. The teacher must do something about this.
d) Discuss with your group mates:
a) Should teachers try to establish personal relationships with their students? Why or why not?
b) Should the teacher always be an authority figure, or should the teacher try to establish egalitarian relationships with students?
c) Should teachers be strict or lenient with students?
d) Should a student be free to express an opinion that differs from the teacher’s?
5 Read the following text and discuss how values predetermine the behaviour of a person.
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