Cheating in Exams; A Look from Within; A Study among Students of Guilan University

The main objective of this paper is to study cheating in the exams with emphasis on understanding the problem. The main thrust of this study is to find out the roots of cheating by using Sykes and Matza neutralization technique theory. This theory tries to find out the way the offenders try to justify their behaviors within a framework compatible with the prevailing values and norms of the society to reduce the pressures stemming from violation of norms. These techniques include Denial of responsibility, Denial of injury, Condemnation of condemners, Denial of Damaged and Expression of loyalty to others. Qualitative research methodology was applied and interview was conducted to garner the necessary data. Hence, deep interview was conducted with 20 students of Guilan University. The findings of the research indicate that the students use the abovementioned five techniques to justify their cheating in the exam. The findings also indicate that exams in the educational system of our country have turned from a measurement category into a value-based one and this improper change has caused more cheating among the students.