Results showed that at least a tenth of the Harvard first-year undergraduates polled admitted to having cheated on an exam prior to starting at the university, while almost half admitted to cheating on their homework Photo: ALAMY　　An anonymous survey by Harvard's newspaper has revealed a surprising pattern of academic dishonesty among students entering the US university.

The survey by The Harvard Crimson was emailed to incoming first year undergraduates; 1,600 students responded. Results showed that at least a tenth of the students polled admitted to having cheated on an exam prior to starting at the university, while almost half admitted to cheating on their homework。

Athletes were apparently the most prone to cheating. 20 percent of students who played a university sport admitted to cheating on an exam compared to 9 percent of students who did not. The survey also revealed that men were not only more likely to cheat but were also more likely to admit to it。

The results, compared to a previous survey done on the class of 2013, suggested that cheating may be becoming more commonplace. Of the outgoing seniors only 7 percent admitted to cheating in an exam and another 7 percent said they had been dishonest on a take-home test. 32 percent of the seniors said they had cheated on homework during their undergraduate years。

The surveys come in the wake of a cheating scandal at the university which saw 120 students investigated for sharing answers on an exam in 2012. One recent graduate stated: “Cheating was commonplace when I was at Harvard, especially with students in their first year or two. I would say as many as 60 per cent of students took notes into some exams. No one really cared and the faculty, well some of them at least, seemed to recognise and yet ignore the problem”。

In an email to NBC News, Jeff Neal, a Harvard representative, explained that a committee, made up of faculty, staff and students had been established to tackle cheating, which “is a national problem in American education”。

He added: “While the vast majority of Harvard and other students do their work honestly, beginning this year Harvard College has implemented a new, more robust strategy of communicating with all students, particularly first-year students, about the importance – and the ways to achieve – academic integrity。”

In a rebuff to critics who say university has become little more than an expensive party, 84 per cent of the responding undergraduates fully expected to prioritise their academics over extracurricular activities, sport, employment and their social lives. Not a single student put academics at the bottom of their list. Not content with confining themselves to their degree subject, 59 percent of incoming students expressed a desire to pursue a secondary field of study, and 36 percent hoped to learn a language。

據(jù)英國《每日電訊》報道，哈佛大學(xué)的報紙進(jìn)行的一項(xiàng)匿名調(diào)查揭示了一個出人意料的事實(shí)，那就是進(jìn)入美國大學(xué)的學(xué)生中存在學(xué)術(shù)上不誠實(shí)的行為。

發(fā)起該調(diào)查的哈佛大學(xué)報 《哈佛深紅》 (The Harvard Crimson)將問卷通過電子郵件發(fā)送給即將進(jìn)入第一年學(xué)習(xí)的本科生。有1600 名學(xué)生作出回應(yīng)。調(diào)查結(jié)果顯示， 參與調(diào)查的人中有1/10的人承認(rèn)進(jìn)入大學(xué)之前就曾在考試中作弊， 而幾乎有一半人承認(rèn)在功課上作弊。

運(yùn)動員顯然是最容易作弊的。那些參加高校體育項(xiàng)目的學(xué)生有20%承認(rèn)在考試中作弊， 相比之下，不參加任何體育項(xiàng)目的學(xué)生作弊率則為9%。該調(diào)查還表明，男性不但更容易作弊而且也更可能承認(rèn)。

與此前針對2013班級所做的調(diào)查相比，該次調(diào)查結(jié)果表明作弊現(xiàn)象可能會越來越普遍。即將離校的高年級學(xué)生只有7%的人承認(rèn)在考試中作弊，另有7%表示他們曾在帶回家的測試中有不誠實(shí)行為。32%的高年級學(xué)生表示曾經(jīng)在讀本科期間在功課上作弊。

該調(diào)查發(fā)起于哈佛大學(xué)的一次作弊丑聞。當(dāng)時，120名學(xué)生因?yàn)樵?012年的一次考試中相互借鑒答案而受到審查。一個剛畢業(yè)的大學(xué)生說：“我在哈佛的時候，作弊是司空見慣的事情，尤其是在學(xué)生讀第一年或第二年期間。我要說多達(dá)60%的學(xué)生曾在一些考試中作小抄。沒有人真正在意。而且教師們(至少他們中的一些人)，似乎注意到此現(xiàn)象，但卻置之不理 ”。

哈佛大學(xué)的代表杰夫尼爾(Jeff Neal) 在給NBC (美國國家廣播公司)新聞部門的一封電子郵件中解釋說，已成建一個由教職員工和學(xué)生組成的委員會，目的是整治作弊現(xiàn)象。作弊已成為美國教育中的一個全國性問題。

他還說道：“盡管絕大多數(shù)的哈佛和其他學(xué)校學(xué)生是老老實(shí)實(shí)做自己功課的，從今年開始哈佛學(xué)院要實(shí)施一個新的、更強(qiáng)大的戰(zhàn)略用來與所有學(xué)生，尤其一年級的學(xué)生，溝通關(guān)于學(xué)術(shù)誠信的重要性，以及如何實(shí)現(xiàn)學(xué)術(shù)誠信。

調(diào)查結(jié)果對于那種說哈佛大學(xué)無異于一個昂貴聚會的批評作出反駁。84%的受訪大學(xué)生完全是計(jì)劃優(yōu)先考慮他們的學(xué)術(shù)，而課外活動、體育、就業(yè)和社會生活則為次要。沒有一個學(xué)生將學(xué)術(shù)列在他們?nèi)蝿?wù)清單的底部。由于不滿足于局陰在自己的專業(yè)上，有59%的新生表示出一個愿望， 就是他們要從事其他領(lǐng)域的研究。 有36%的人希望學(xué)習(xí)一門語言。