Knowledge Bias: The Student's Perception Regarding Copying During Examinations, A Case Study of Israeli Colleges

Abstract

The object of the article is to examine the view of students at Tel-Hai College regarding the phenomenon of copying amongst their fellow-students. The question was raised as to whether the learning process really affects the students' views and whether the phenomenon of copying bothers them more the later they are in their college career, i.e. when they are in their junior and senior years. Note that the baccalaureate degrees in Israeli colleges typically require three years of study. In order to conduct the study, questionnaires were distributed to students of the Department of Economics and Management and to students of the Department of Nutrition, for control purposes. In addition, open questionnaires were distributed to provide additional verification for the variable of opinions on copying. No significantly statistical difference was found between the two different departments regardless of the year of study. However, a difference does exist between students in the first and third years of college in general and the difference is greater amongst the Economic and Management students. The study's hypothesis, which states that students in their third year of study will be more sensitive regarding copying than will students in their first year, was disproved and the findings show that it is just the opposite. No changes in the opinions of students regarding copying occur during their college careers, because grades are what are most important to the students. The principal conclusion of the study is that there is a considerable disparity in the code of honor between the academic institution and the students who study there.