EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE INDULGED AMONG SECONDARY

SCHOOL STUDENTS IN PHYSICS IN ABOH MBAISE L.G.A OF IMO

STATE

BY
ANYANWU, VALENTINE. C
BD/19/88494

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS
A.I.F.C.E. OWERRI,
IN AFFILIATION WITH UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA NSUKKA (UNN)

DECEMBER, 2023
 i

EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE INDULGED AMONG SECONDARY

SCHOOL STUDENTS IN PHYSICS IN ABOH MBAISE L.G.A OF IMO
STATE

BY
ANYANWU, VALENTINE. C
BD/19/88494

A RESEARCH PROJECT (EDU 451) SUBMITTED TO THE, SCHOOL OF

GENERAL EDUCATION, ALVAN IKOKU FEDERAL COLLEGE OF
EDUCATION, OWERRI, IN AFFILIATION WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF
NIGERIA, NSUKKA (UNN)

IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE

AWARD OF BACHALOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE (B.Sc.Ed) IN
PHYSICS/EDUCATION

DECEMBER, 2023
 ii

APPROVAL

This research project has been supervised and approved on behalf of the school of

General education, Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerri, In

Affiliation with The University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN)

By

Mr. Ezeji, Ezechukwu ______________ _____________

(Project Supervisor) Signature Date

Mr. Emelue, Henry ______________ _____________

Head of Physics Department Signature date

Dr. Nwachukwu, C U. ______________ _____________

Dean, School of science Signature. Date

Dr. Ukwuoma, N. A ______________ _____________

Dean, School of Education Signature Date

External Examiner ______________ _____________

Signature Date
 iii

DEDICATION

This work is dedicated to my loving parents Mr & Mrs Paulinus Anyanwu, to my

grandmother Mary Anyanwu, and also to my siblings, Irene, Patrick, Nathaniel,

and Esther and all lovers of physics education.

 iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My profound gratitude goes to Almighty God for His infinite mercy granted me for

the success of this project, despite the challenges faced on the course of this

research work to Him be all the praise and honour.

My special thanks goes to my incomparable supervisor, Mr. Ezeji Ezechukwu who

painstakingly guided me through the period of this research and for his efforts

towards the success of this project, through his constant check and correction of

countless errors in order to ensure the perfection of this work, may the Good Lord

bless you.

My special gratitude goes to my beloved parents Mr./Mrs. Paulinus Anyanwu for

their great commitment and concern which were expressed through love and

financial assistance throughout my stay in school, I say a big thank you, may God

bless you and keep you to reap the fruits of your labour. I would also like to

appreciate Mr. Emelue Henry the Head of Physics Department and my dear

lecturers for their intellectual contributions throughout my academic pursuits in the

department of physics.

The last but not the least, I respectfully acknowledge my indebtedness to many

authors and scholars whose works were referenced in this work.

 v

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title i

Approval ii

Dedication iii

Acknowledgements iv

Table of contents v

Abstract viii

CHAPTER ONE 1

INTRODUCTION 1

BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY 1

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 3
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY 4
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY 4
RESEARCH QUESTIONS 5
SCOPE OF THE STUDY 5

CHAPTER TWO 6

LITERATURE REVIEW 6

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK 6
CONCEPT OF EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE 6
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 19
THE BEHAVIORAL THEORY OF OPERANT CONDITIONING BY B.F SKINNER 19
SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY BY ALBERT BANDURA (1977) 20
EMPIRICAL STUDIES 22
SUMMARY OF REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 24
 vi

CHAPTER THREE 26

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 26

DESIGN OF THE STUDY 26

AREA OF THE STUDY 26
POPULATION OF THE STUDY 27
SAMPLE AND SAMPLING TECHNIQUES 28
INSTRUMENT FOR DATA COLLECTION 28
METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION 28
VALIDATION OF INSTRUMENT 29
METHOD OF DATA ANALYSIS 29

CHAPTER FOUR 31

DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS 31

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS 35

CHAPTER FIVE 36

DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION. EDUCATIONAL

IMPLICATIONS OF THE STUDY, RECOMMENDATIONS,
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDIES, LIMITATIONS AND
SUMMARY 36

DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS 36
CONCLUSION 37
EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS 38
RECOMMENDATIONS 39
LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY 40
THIS RESEARCH WORK ENCOUNTERED THE FOLLOWING LIMITATIONS 40
SUGGESTION FOR FURTHER STUDIES. 40
SUMMARY OF THE STUDY 41

REFERENCE 43

Appendix A 45
 vii

Appendix B. 48

Appendix C. 49
 viii

ABSTRACT

The study examined the various forms of examination malpractice indulged

in secondary school students in physics in Aboh mbaise L.G.A. Three
purposes and three research questions guided the study. Related literature
were reviewed under conceptual, theoretical, empirical studies. The study
employed a descriptive survey research design. The population of the study
consist of all the senior secondary physics students in Aboh mbaise L.G.A.
Purposive sampling technique was used to select a sample size of 261
respondent used for the study. The instrument for data collection was
structured questionnaire, which was analyzed using mean score. Findings
revealed that laziness to studying bring about examination malpractice, and
lack of self confidence. The highest cause of examination malpractice is the
willingness of most physics students to pass examination at all cost. It was
therefore recommended that there should be re-orientation of students on
the dangers of examination malpractice, parents should extol hard work,
dignity of labour in the children, parents should discourage dubious and
fraudulent behavior such as providing their children with money to obtain
marks and question papers among others.
 1

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the study

In Nigeria, the educational system and other systems are in crisis-ridden situation.

Recent researches have shown that majority of students who gained admissions

into higher institution of learning are products of examination malpractice

(Emaikwu & Eba, 2007). Maduemezia (2010) reported that the first examination

malpractice in Nigeria occurred in 1914 during the Senior Cambridge Local

Examination in which papers were leaked before the scheduled date of

examination.

Education is the bedrock of growth and development of any economy. It is a

process of teaching and learning. Education in its general sense is a form of

learning in which knowledge, skills and habits of a group of people are transferred

from one generation to the next through teaching, training and research. Education

frequently takes place under the guidance of others, but may be autocratic. Any

experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts may be

considered educational.

In recent years, malpractice has caused a lot of setbacks in educational sector.

Students no longer have any interest to study because they always feel like, what is
 2

the need of studying when they can indulge in any form of examination

malpractice such as impersonating, using of mobile phones to write examination,

bribing of examination officials etc and pass their examination. This mindset has

caused a lot of students to lose interest in studying, but depend on malpractice to

pass their examination. Also, in the society we live in today, respect is determined

by the number of degrees and certificates one has in his coffer. This has seriously

encouraged mediocrity in Nigeria, as a result of this development, students now

indulge in examination malpractice in other to meet the present day societal

demands.

Examination malpractice is defined as any deliberate act of wrong doing contrary

to the rules of examination designed to give a candidate an undue advantage.

Akpama et al (2009) viewed examination malpractice as an unlawful behavior or

activity engaged by school children at whatever level of education to have personal

advantage in examination over their mates who are competing in the same

examination. Researches have shown that some of the causes of examination

malpractice indulged by students are; the desire to pass at all cost, inadequate study

materials, bad school management, peer pressure, laziness, lack of interest to

study, even poor quality teaching. Now with this you will agree that this leads to

indolence and contributes greatly to the much talked about falling standard in
 3

education as students choose to indulge in examination malpractice instead of

sitting down to study.

Statement of the problem

As stated earlier, examination malpractice is very common today in the Nigerian

educational sector from primary to the tertiary institutions. Both male and Female

students however involve themselves in this unlawful act, just like the trending

news now on the Internet about “Ejikeme Joy” a teenage girl of 16 years old who

illegally manipulated her Jamb score from 249 to 362 and was caught by the Joint

Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) authorities. Now if a young girl of 16

years indulge in this kind of activity and her actions are not properly taken care of

by the authorities, what will happen to the right values/virtues that our great

educationalists in Nigeria like Biodun kolawole, Jim ovia and others who did their

best to see that the educational standard in Nigeria keep on improving. Nowadays,

students indulge in all forms of examination malpractice like bribing of

examination officials, bringing in of mobile phones to examination halls, some

students go extra miles to hire mercenaries to sit and write examination for them.

All these behaviors have contributed greatly to the much talked about falling

standard of education in Nigeria and specifically secondary school physics students

in Aboh Mbaise L.G.A. Now, it is important to undertake this study to help these

students who engage in these unlawful and illegal activities know the implications
 4

of examination malpractice, it’s retribution, as well as how it could affect their

future careers.

Purpose of the study

The main purpose of this study is to ascertain some forms of examination

malpractice indulged by secondary school physics students in Aboh Mbaise Local

Government Area. Specifically, the aim of this research is to;

 Ascertain the factors that bring about examination malpractice in secondary

school physics students in Aboh Mbaise L.G.A.

 Ascertain the effects of examination malpractice on the performance of

secondary school physics students in Aboh Mbaise L.G.A.

 Ascertain appropriate control measures towards curbing examination

malpractice in secondary school physics students in Aboh Mbaise L.G.A.

Significance of the study

This study will be beneficial to students, teachers, parents and ministry of

education.

The findings of this study will help the students to consider the retribution of

examination malpractice and also how it could affect their future careers. The

findings of this study will help the teachers to inculcate the right values in students

and also help them by teaching the full scheme of work so as to get the students
 5

ready before examination and also teach them on how examination malpractice can

cause problem in their future endeavors. The findings of the study will help the

parents not to put pressure on their children for good grades, and emphasis should

not be laid only on certificates but to have the knowledge and skills. The findings

of the study will help the ministry of education to set strict rules that the whole

scheme of work should be effectively taught to the students before scheduling

them for examination.

Research questions

In an attempt to investigate some forms of examination malpractice indulged by

secondary school physics students in Aboh Mbaise L.G.A in Imo state, the

following research questions were raised;

 What are the factors that bring about examination malpractice in secondary

school physics students in Aboh Mbaise L.G.A?

 What are the effects of examination malpractice on the performance of

secondary school physics students in Aboh Mbaise L.G.A?

 What are the appropriate control measures towards curbing examination

malpractice in secondary school physics students in Aboh Mbaise L.G.A?

 6

Scope of the study

The content scope was limited to some forms of examination malpractice indulged

among secondary school physics students. While the geographical scope is limited

to only senior secondary SS2 physics students in Aboh Mbaise L.G.A.

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter deals with the review of related literature of this study. It looked into

the following sub-headings: conceptual framework, theoretical framework,

empirical studies and summary of literature review

Conceptual framework

Concept of Examination Malpractice

Examination malpractice is defined as any deliberate act of wrong doing, contrary

to the rules of examinations designed to give a candidate an undue advantage.

Examination malpractice has been given different meanings by different scholars

with the meanings pointing at one thing, which is “to pass at all cost”.
 7

Akpama et al, (2009) viewed examination malpractice as an unlawful behavior or

activity engaged by school children at whatever level of education, to have

personal advantage in examination over their mates who are competing in the same

examination. Adeyegbe (2006) defined examination malpractice as unfair practices

or irregularities or infringement of irregularities during the conduct of examination.

Onunuaga (2009), he believes that the perpetration of examination malpractice is

an embarrassing act involving parents, students and teachers even the authorities.

He went further to say that the society is corrupt. The parents always search for the

best for their children, they are the main culprits of examination malpractice, they

spend what they have to get what they need. He explained that the aim of anybody

establishing a private school or tutorial center is to make profit. They aid

examination malpractice in other to have more students and make more profit.

In the view of the university of Port Harcourt Academic Policies (2009),

Examination malpractice refers to all forms of cheating which directly or indirectly

falsify the ability of the students. The definition above is an “unwholesome

behavior which help the doer to perform better than he/she would ordinarily do if

not for the act”. For the purpose of this project work, examination malpractice is an

illegal or improper conduct by a candidate of an examination with the aim to pass

that examination.
 8

In recent years, there has been so many causes of examination malpractice in

schools, which some of them are; fear of failure, laziness of students, lack of self

confidence, poor quality teaching, bad school management, poor parental

upbringing, peer pressure, inadequate study materials etc. Also, students have

developed different forms of examination malpractice, they either give money to

teachers or examination officials, use mobile phones during examination,

impersonate, copying from another candidate’s examination answer sheet or even

rewriting of paper after examination. All these forms of examination malpractice

has caused a lot of setbacks in educational sector. Students no longer have any

interest to study because they always believe that one way or the other they are

going to pass their examination even without reading. They can bribe examination

officials, bring in mobile phones and use it to write their examination and pass.

However, examination malpractice act 33 of 1999 revised the above decree but

now stipulated punishment ranging from a fine of fifty thousand naira (50,000) to

hundred thousand naira (100,000) and imprisonment for a term 3-4 years with or

without option of fine. This new development is due to the inability of the

appropriate authorities to enforce the old decree 20 of 1985. Despite all these laws,

examination malpractice has been on the increase and thus may be due to non-

implementation of these laws. Examination malpractice brings about low moral

standard in schools, due to fear of failure, students however indulge in examination

 9

malpractice, examination malpractice also bring about lack of self confidence,

laziness and lack of interest to study, all these have eaten deep into the life of the

society.

Examination malpractice has been in existence a long time ago. According to

various sources, examination malpractice was first reported in Nigeria in the year

1914 when the Senior Cambridge Local Government Examinations leaked. This

was 38 years before the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) was

established. After independence, there was hardly any year which examination

malpractice was not recorded. This was clearly manifested in the West African

School Certificate Examination of 1970/1971 when all manner of irregularities

papers characterized with the conduct of the examination. In 1948, a Nigerian

student had his paper on “History” canceled because he came to the country

examination hall with foreign paper what was related to the examination in

question. This type of behavior was blown out of proportion in the 70’s with the

sensational “Expo”. Since 1970, there has been no national examination taken

without some revelations of examination malpractices.

In 1963, WAEC detected leakage in the first school leaving certificate

examinations. Since the inception of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board

(JAMB) in 1978, there have been cases of examination malpractices. Isemede in

sokale (1997) asserted that examination malpractice constitutes one of the biggest
 10

problems facing Jamb. Today, examination malpractice has become a serious

concern in the educational sector because it had reached a gigantic dimension with

different methods used by students. Opinions differ as to the meaning of

examination malpractices. Writing under the caption “who is to be blamed for

examination leaks”. Wilyat (2014) says “examination leakage is a flu not only on

our school but also on our society. It is a reflection of bare fakeness which induces

corruption. It is also a reflection of laziness and lack of self reliance not to mention

the onions dishonesty”.

According to Omemu (2015), the root causes of examination malpractice in

Nigeria include the following;

 The desire to pass at all cost: Paul (2012) agreed on the fact that students

nowadays are no longer hardworking and dedicated towards their academic

endeavors. They are characterized by a desire for success and wealth without

a corresponding emphasis on legitimate means and avenues to be used

positively in achieving success. The desire to pass at all cost is responsible

for examination malpractice (Ajibola, 2006).

 Emphasis on certificate: Nigeria’s educational system is largely certificate

and good grades oriented. Students, parents, school management and others

tend to push harder on wards to get the certificate and good grades by all

means. As a result, much values and emphasis are placed on certificate

 11

instead of knowledge, skills and competence. Many school leavers and

dropouts have certificate without knowledge, skills and right attitude. This is

why examination malpractices are increasing day after day for the rush to

get paper qualification for jobs they posses or good grades to secure

employment

 Teachers and institutional procedures: The quality of teachers in an

educational service determine to a very large extent the quality and standard

of the educational system. Without good and sufficient teachers, the social

system would find it extremely difficult to assist the society in realizing its

development goals as no nation can rise above the quality of it’s teachers

(Ajayi, 2005). It is also true that well motivated teachers tend to be more

efficient than their poorly motivated counterparts ( Ejiogu, 2007).

Ajibola (2006) noted that the teacher is the main focus of changes and the anchor

in the teaching-learning process; indeed the main determinant of quality in the

educational system. The teacher therefore, has a crucial role to play in the success

of any educational system. Indeed, the quality of the teacher is perhaps the most

important determinant of educational standards. Good teaching makes learning

more meaningful, interesting and understanding. Unfortunately, the Nigerian

teacher has been so relegated and neglected by governments and society.

 12

 Societal factor: Itedjere (2006) sees it from the moral tone of the society,

that it is a statement of truth that the school like any other social institution,

does not exist in a vacuum, rather it exists within a geopolitical and socio-

milieu. Hence, behaviors are expected to conform and reflect the acceptable

societal norms and ethics as regards various functional roles and the

executions of duties and services. Itedjere (2006) clearly expressed that,

examination malpractice is a product of a society that nurture cheats and

mediocrity and turns them into celebrities. It is a reflection of the moral

decadence of our country where we have pen robbers, armed robbers,

smugglers and drug barons who are glorified by the grace of their ill-gotten

wealth.

 The school facilities and environment: The quantity and and quality of

physical facilities available in most of our educational institutions leave

much to be desired. In most of our communities, the primary and secondary

schools environment and buildings are often the poorest and the ugliest.

More often than not, we find classrooms without roofs, and without furniture

for pupils/students and teachers. As a result, there is always much pressure

on the few available buildings, classrooms, facilities, equipment and other

necessary infrastructure. Consequently, between 50 and 100 students are

crowded in a classroom during normal teaching-learning times and during

 13

examinations in rooms meant for about 50 or 40 students. The poor school

environment and infrastructure contributes immensely to poor teaching, poor

academic performance and high rate of examination malpractice.

 The students and their level of knowledge and skill acquisition: The level of

knowledge and skill acquisition of students determine their involvement in

examination malpractice. More importantly, the feeling of inferiority

complex to which any student that fails examination is subjected in school,

at home and in the society at large would make the student go to any length

to pass examination.

 Employment requirements: Qualifications are the major parameters used for

employment or to fill vacancies in enterprises in the labor market. Therefore,

getting the certificate is the most important goal for most prospective

applicants. Once the connection is there in addition to the certificate, the job

is secured. The effect of this is that securing a good job in Nigeria depends

on a good certificate, hence students who are in pursuit of such jobs but are

weak academically resort to all sorts of means including cheating in

examination

 Admission requirements: In any institution of learning, there are specific

admission policy requirements. For instance, from secondary school to

university level, prospective applicants are expected to posses some

 14

minimum qualification before they could be considered for admission. In an

attempt to satisfy these requirements, students know that they must posses

the relevant subjects for the course of study. Therefore, some of them feel

that something must be done to avoid failure in such examination so as to

guarantee the achievement of their career goals. The final consequence of

this is that many of them resort to cheating during the prescribed

examinations so as to achieve their academic ambition especially in key

subjects like Mathematics, english language, physics, chemistry, biology etc.

 General economic ailment/level of income: In a nation like ours where there

is a high inflationary trend due to the already battered economy. People seize

every available opportunity to make both ends meet. People believe that

without money they cannot make it. The officials of examination are no

exception. For instance, some of them use their position to make money by

selling life examination papers.

 Strikes/closure of institutions: Frequent strikes actions and indiscriminate

closure of institutions aid examination malpractice. When institutions are

closed, semester and course work condensed. Students panic as they begin to

explore “the best means” to pass their examination. This is because they

teachers will want to cover up the syllabus and because the time left is short,
 15

the work load will be much on the students thereby making the students to

find all possible means to pass examination.

 Political undertone and government insensitivity to educational needs: The

Nigerian political system since independence has been characterized by

inconsistency, instability and economic malpractice. Corruption has been the

bane of the Nigerian policy. It has created a situation where people of no

substance are being catapulted into positions of importance in the society

because of their ill-gotten naira power. The flow of naira automatically

grants respect and honor to personalities in the society who probably do not

deserve such honor. In this circumstances, the spirit of hard work and

excellence becomes truncated or aborted. In addition, the government in its

practice does not seem to see the greatness of the nation in the classroom as

Japan and America do. The Nigerian government continuously sacrifice her

educational needs on the alter of politics, nepotism and ethnicity and

selfishness. Thus, like the government’s policy on education, the society

tends to see examination as one of the meaningless routine exercises in the

educational system which has no bearing on the future progress and

development of the nation and of the child. Hence, the society appears not to

recognize examination as playing a vital role in the educational and

economic future of the child and so should be seriously conducted to ensure

 16

its validity and reliability. Emphasis is on oil economy and not knowledge

economy.

 The role of government agencies: Government officials and agencies in

charge of education and examination like the ministry of education, WAEC

supervisors and invigilators as well as the law enforcement agencies

contribute in different ways to examination malpractice. These agencies and

bodies either by omission or commission connive, aid and abet while at the

same time pretend to be against examination malpractice.

 The supervisory role of school administration: Generally, teachers and

students are poorly supervised and poorly motivated by school authorities.

School heads and inspectorate division of the ministry of education seldom

carry out their supervisory roles. More often than not, the inspectors visit

schools mainly to collect “envelope” and “kola” without necessarily

executing their primary duties. In the same vein, school heads spend a

greater part of the time each day collecting one form of levy or the other. In

the process, the provision of necessary learning or teaching materials such as

chalk, marking of lesson notes and supervision of students and teachers

become secondary assignments which may be delegated to disgruntled

subordinates. Lack of proper supervision on the part of chili heads and

 17

supervisors lead to truancy by teachers and students. These culminate in

examination malpractice.

In the society we live in today, examination malpractice has been seen as the only

way to succeed in academics, students now come up with different methods/forms

in other to indulge in this unlawful act. Some of these forms include;

 Impersonation: This is a case where another candidate or hired mercenary

sits for examination on behalf of the genuine candidate.

 Scientific malpractice/ use of mobile phones during examination: Nowadays,

candidates employ unauthorized scientific calculators, organizer compact

disc and mobile phones to take snapshots of a whole textbook in a much

reduced format for use during examination. For examination that involves

multiple choice questions, candidates inside the examination hall receive the

answer through the handsets from their agents even outside that

geographical location.

 Collective settlement: The students or candidates gather their resources

together to either give it in cash or use it to purchase tangible items for the

teachers or exam officials in other to get favor.

 Students also sort teachers and examination supervisors before they will

submit the papers to the examination bodies.

 Rewriting of the paper after examination

 18

 Copying: Reproduction of another candidate’s work with or without

permission

 Leakage: This means that the content of examination or part of it is disclosed

prior to taking the examination. Usually it involves one or more of the

following; staff members of the examination, authorities, printers,

messengers, personnel to develop the papers (setters) or to determine

suitability (moderators) and school administrators.

These are some of the forms of examination malpractice in which students indulge

in to pass their examinations without even thinking about the effects of this illegal

acts. Examination malpractice has very serious economic, political and social

consequences. The buying of examination forms alone costs a lot of money and

when these results are canceled, it affects the opportunity costs of the society and

the nation at large. The candidates become frustrated, it hampers students learning

outcomes, distorts the accuracy of students results, it negates one of the vital

objective of conducting examination and distorts the evaluation reliability even

students lose confidence in themselves.

Examination malpractice devalues and nullifies issuance of certificate. On this

note, Jimoh (2009) noted that students preferred to flaunt certificates and

credentials rather than knowledge, skill and competence. Examination malpractice

leads to loss of one’s integrity, breed unproductive and non functional graduates.
 19

Edikpa (2006) quoting Egbo (2005) frowned that examination malpractice has

continued to threaten the relevance of education and the quality of education is

alarmingly declining Adeyegbe (2006) noted that the devastating effect of

examination has threatened not only the credibility of the certificates issued by the

examination bodies, but also threatened the existence of such bodies.

Examination malpractice has very bad effects in secondary schools though it may

be seen as a sure means of success in academics. Some of the effects include

 Examination malpractice encourages students to steal from their parents or

fellow students in other to pay examination officers.

 It has made most students to lack the skill in their various course of study.

 It has forced us to have many graduates but only few can apply what they

have learnt.

 Examination malpractice makes most physics students not to be able to

defend their certificate

 It makes students to lose confidence in themselves.

Theoretical framework

Two theories will be used in this study in an attempt to explain Examination

Malpractice and Students interest in physics. These theories are;

 Behavioral theory of operant conditioning by B.F Skinner (1937)

 Social learning theory by Albert Bandura (1977)

 20

The behavioral theory of operant conditioning by B.F Skinner

This theory was propounded by B.F Skinner in 1937. Operant conditioning refers

to a kind of learning process whereby a response is made more probable or more

frequent by reinforcement. It helps the learning of operant behavior, the behavior

that is not necessarily associated with known stimuli. Skinner called this theory

operant conditioning because it is based on certain operations which an organism

has to carry out. The term “Operant” stresses that behavior operates upon the

environment to generate its own consequences. An operant is a set of acts which

conditions an organism in doing something. In the process of operant conditioning,

operant responses are modified or changed by reinforcements.

Reinforcements are special kinds of conditioning within which the tendency for a

stimulus to evoke a response on subsequent occasions is increased by reduction of

a bond. Based on the findings of this experiment, Skinner concluded that behavior

is shaped and maintained by the consequences. It is operated by the organism and

maintained by it’s results. Skinner believed that behavior ma could be learnt from

the environment, it could also be unlearned through reinforcers, which could be

negative or positive. Through negative reinforcers, the organism can be punished

for doing something wrong so that such an act is not repeated again. Positively, it

could be rewarded to repeat an act if it was good.

 21

This theory is important to this project work because it brings out the tenets of

behavior, how they are learnt, and how they can unlearn. It is also linked to this

work based on students learn examination malpractice from others (environment)

which could be peers, parents, teachers, supposed role models in their

communities. This automatically mean that some of these examination malpractice

portrayed by students today, they learnt it from their parents, teachers, peers even

the community. Also when students put up negative behaviors/ bad behaviors such

as cheating in examinations, bribing of examination officials etc and are not

punished, they keep on engaging in this bad behavior which in turn affects their

interest to sit down and read their books.

Social learning theory by Albert Bandura (1977)

The social learning theory was propounded by Albert Bandura in 1977. This theory

agrees with the behaviorist theories of classical conditioning and operant

conditioning that behavior is learnt from the environment through the process of

observational learning (McLeod, 2016). This theory emphasizes the importance of

observing and modeling the behaviors, attitude and emotional reactions of others.

Bandura (1997) states; “Learning would be exceedingly laborious, not to mention

hazardous, if people had to rely solely on the effects of their own actions to inform

them what to do. Nowadays children are surrounded by many spheres of influence

(models) such as parents, teachers, and peer groups. These models exhibit various
 22

types of behavioral patterns that might be imitated by children with little regards as

to whether the behavior is gender appropriate or not.

Social learning theory explains human behavior in terms of continuous reciprocal

interaction between cognitive, behavioral and environmental influences. Wherever

they go, they learn what they see, whatever they hear, they take, especially from

their heroes and elders. In the community in general, when students enter offices

and they are demanded to offer bribes for services, they in turn learn and use it in

their examination halls. They learn to bribe their classmates to write their

examinations for them. They also bribe teachers to leak examination questions to

them.

This theory is important to this project work because it highly connects the social

environment and examination malpractice. It shows how the school in general as a

social environment influences students to indulge in examination malpractice. It

shows how students indulge in various forms of examination malpractice in the

social learning environment. Also this theory makes us understand that just like

bad behaviors are learnt from the social environment, with the actors being parents,

teachers, heroes (public figures), these can same personalities, through their

behaviors can make the students unlearn these bad behaviors.

 23

Empirical studies

Adegokeh (2016) carried out a research on investigation of examination

malpractice among secondary school students in Mushin Local Government Area

in Lagos State. The project highlights the causes of examination malpractice

among secondary school students, the effect of examination malpractice and

solution to examination malpractice in secondary schools. In this research work, a

sample of twenty (20) teachers and one hundred (100) students were collected by

means of simple random sampling technique from five secondary schools in

Mushin Local Government. The research instrument used for the study was the

teacher’s and student’s perception questionnaire which was validated by the

supervisor and used for the collection of data from the respondents. The data

collected from the respondents were analyzed with distribution tables and simple

percentage. At the end of the analysis, the study revealed the major reasons for

examination malpractice which includes; parental pressure for good grades, value

attached to certificate and so on. The study further recommended that parents

should not put pressure in their children for good grades. Also emphasis should not

be laid on certificates only.

Elizabeth (2019) examined the perceived effects of examination malpractice in

teaching and learning of physics in Owerri Municipal Council Area of Imo State.

The population of the study consisted of all the senior students in Owerri
 24

Municipal. Random sampling technique was used to select a sample size of 156

respondents which was used for the study. The study developed a descriptive

survey research design. The instrument for data collection was structured

questionnaire which was analyzed using mean score. Findings revealed that

examination malpractice discourages students from reading, and destroys personal

development. The height cause of examination malpractice is fear of examination

failure and the greatest effect is that it leads to poor academic performance of

students. It was therefore recommended that there should be re-orientation of

students on the dangers of examination malpractice.

Emaikwu, (2012) carried out a study titled “Assessing the impact of examination

malpractice on the measurement of ability in Nigeria, from four universities north

central Nigeria. The purpose of the research was to assess the impact of

examination malpractice on the measurement of ability in Nigeria. The design of

the study was survey research. A sample size of 300 students and 100 lecturers

were randomly selected from four universities in the north central Nigeria which

was used for the study. The instrument for data collection was a structured

questionnaire developed by the researcher. Four research questions were answered

and one hypothesis was tested. The result indicated that lecturers and students

indulge in examination malpractice in Nigeria. It is affirmed that examination

malpractice is caused by undue emphasis on paper qualification, fear of failure and

 25

inadequate preparation among other factors. The result also showed that the major

types of examination malpractice being perpetuated in universities are possession

of foreign materials during examination, collusion by students to cheat in

examination and continuous assessment malpractice. It reveals further that

examination malpractice leads to lack of confidence. In Nigerian educational

products, results in half-baked graduates, discourages hardwork and lowers the

standard of education. The article maintains that the calamity of examination

malpractice is not just the havoc it wrecks in our educational system, but the

gradual indoctrination of youths into the practice of fraud. It is recommended that

examination malpractice legislation should be enforced and that guidance and

counseling services be adequately provided in universities to minimize the

incidence of examination malpractice.

Summary of review of related literature

This research work tends to ascertain the various forms of examination malpractice

indulged among secondary school students in physics in Aboh Mbaise Local

Government Area. The chapter reviewed some factors under the following

subheadings; Conceptual framework, Theoretical Framework and Empirical

Studies.

The Conceptual Framework discussed the concept of Examination malpractice.

The Theoretical Framework discussed two theories; Behavioral theory of operant

 26

conditioning by B.F Skinner (1937) and social learning theory by Albert Bandura

(1977).

Empirical studies were reviewed based on related literature. It related previous

studies which also examined Examination malpractice though some differ in terms

of location, sample size and sampling techniques used and also method of data

analysis.
 27

CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter describes the method and procedure adopted by the researcher in

carrying out this study. This chapter was discussed under the following

subheadings; Design of the study, Area of the study, Population of the study,

Sample and Sampling Techniques, Instrument for Data Collection, Validation of

Instrument, Method of Data Collection, Administration of the Instrument and

Method of Data Analysis.

Design of the study

The research design adopted for this study was descriptive survey research design.

Descriptive survey research design is an approach of descriptive research that uses

both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Descriptive research is the

research design in which data is collected in a qualitative manner and analyzed

using quantitative procedures (Nassaj, 2015). The reason for using descriptive

survey method is borne out of the fact that this method will help the researcher in

gathering information from respondents on various forms of examination

malpractice indulged among secondary school students in physics in Aboh Mbaise

L.G.A. The findings will be generalized to all the physics students in Imo state,

Nigeria.
 28

Area of the study

The area of this study was Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area. Aboh Mbaise is

one of the 27 Local Governments in Imo State.Aboh Mbaise Local Government

falls within the eastern senatorial district of Imo state otherwise known as Imo East

Senatorial District along Ahiazu Mbaise, Ezinihitte Mbaise, Ikeduru, Mbaitolu,

Ngor okpala, Owerri North and Owerri west local government areas. Aboh Mbaise

local government area covers an area of over 184 kilometer square (71 square

mile) and a population of 194,779 at the 2006 census. It’s headquarters is in the

town of Aboh. There are different towns in Aboh Mbaise such as Nguru, Uvuru,

Okwuato, Lorji, Amuzu, Enyiogugu. Aboh Mbaise has a common boundary with

Owerri North, Mbaitoli-Ikeduru L.G.A in the west and Mbano L.G.A in the north.

There are a total of twelve (12) secondary schools in Aboh Mbaise which some of

the names are; Lagwa community secondary school, Okwuato Secondary School,

Lorji Community Secondary School, Enyiogugu Secondary School etc. There is a

nursing school in Aboh Mbaise local government area by name Midwifery General

Hospital opposite Mbaise Secondary School. Aboh Mbaise is mainly occupied

with Christians and a few traditionalists. The language spoken by the people is

Igbo language. Regardless of the insecurity in Imo state, Aboh Mbaise is a very

peaceful area.
 29

Population of the study

The population of this study comprises of three thousand four hundred and forty

seven (3447) senior secondary school physics students from 12 government

secondary schools in Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area.

Sample and sampling techniques

The sample size of this study is two hundred and sixty one (261). The researcher

purposively selected SS2 physics students from four (4) senior secondary schools

in the research area. Purposive sampling technique was used because it gives the

researcher the opportunity to select the schools that have a greater population of

students so as to help the researcher answer the research questions adequately.

Instrument for data collection

A structured questionnaire was designed to obtain information from the

respondents which was constructed to reflect the aims and objectives of this study

and to answer the research questions. The questionnaire was made up of two

sections A and B.

Section A comprised of personal data such as respondents gender and Section B

comprised of questions which was answered by the respondents by ticking the

right ideas in the blank space which has four (4) options likert scale Strongly

Agreed (SA), Agreed (A), Disagreed (D), and Strongly Disagreed (SD) with

numerical values of 4,3,2,1. The instrument was a 20 item questionnaire for the
 30

respondents, 10 research items for research question one and 5 each for research

question 2 and 3 respectively.

Method of data collection

The researcher made use of spot interpersonal method of administration to

distribute and collect the questionnaire. This method was of benefit to the

researcher because the possibility of missing some of the instruments was reduced.

Two hundred and sixty one copies of the questionnaire was given out and collected

back from the respondents from the four (4) purposively selected schools.

Validation of instrument

To ensure that the questionnaire measures the described traits, it was drafted and

submitted to my supervisor and after his observations and corrections, it was also

submitted to experts in Measurement and Evaluation in the Department of

Psychology Guidance and Counseling (G & C) in Alvan Ikoku University of

Education Owerri. The final distributed copies of the instrument reflected their

comments.

Method of data analysis

Based on the data that was collected using the questionnaire, the arithmetic mean

and standard deviation was considered appropriate and was used for the analysis of

the research questions.

 31

Where;

X = Arithmetic mean.= ∑fx

f

∑ = Summation

x = scores apportioned to each of the response type

f = Frequencies.

Thus, 4+3+2+1 = 10 =2.5

4 4
A mean of 2.50 was adopted as a bench mark to agree or disagree on the

questionnaire items.
2
fd
standard deviation SD= ∑ d=(x−x )
f
 32

CHAPTER FOUR

DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS

In this chapter, the data collected for the research study were presented in a tabular

form and analyzed following the research questions. The presentation and analysis

of data were organized around three research questions. The research data were

analyzed using arithmetic mean and standard deviation.

Research Question One: What are the factors that bring about examination

malpractice in secondary school physics students in Aboh Mbaise L.G.A?

Table 1: The factors that bring about examination malpractice in secondary

schools

S/n Research items SA D SD N X SD Decision

A
1 Physics students 10 91 47 19 261 3.1 39.31 Agreed
indulge in 4
examination 273 94 19 802
malpractice due to 41
 33

laziness. 6
2 Most times physics 81 108 56 16 261 3.0 39.10 Agreed
students are involved
in examination 32 324 112 16 776
malpractice due to 4
examination phobia.
3 Most times physics 77 129 34 21 261 3.0 48.77 Agreed
students lack self-
confidence which 30 387 68 21 784
cause them to indulge 8
in examination
malpractice.
4. Inadequate study 66 131 46 18 261 2.9 48.05 Agreed
materials in school
bring about physics 26 393 92 18 767
students to indulge in 4
examination
malpractice.
5 Lack of qualified 78 97 62 24 261 2.9 31.00 Agreed
physics teachers
bring about 31 291 124 24 751
examination 2
malpractice.
6 Willingness of most 11 119 23 9 261 3.3 57.27 Agreed
physics students to 0
pass their 357 46 9 852
examination at all 44
cost bring about 0
examination
malpractice.
7 Uncompleted 85 122 28 26 261 3.0 46.69 Agreed
syllabus by teachers
bring about 34 366 56 26 788
examination 0
malpractice by
physics students.
 34

8 Lack of interest to 11 112 21 10 261 3.3 57.67 Agreed

study causes physics 8
students to indulge in 336 42 10 860
examination 47
malpractice. 2
9 Bad influence of peer 97 110 37 17 261 3.1 45.23 Agreed
group in school
brings about most 38 330 74 17 809
physics students to 8
indulge in
examination
malpractice.
10 Bad school 61 128 34 38 261 2.8 43.49 Agreed
management bring
about most physics 24 384 68 38 734
students to indulge in 4
examination
malpractice.

30.4
Grand mean= =3.0
10

Table 1, reveals a grand mean of 3.0, which is equal to or above the bench-mark of

2.50. Therefore the identified factors cause examination malpractice in Aboh

Mbaise L.G.A.

Research Question Two: What are the effects of examination malpractice on the

performance of secondary school physics students in Aboh Mbaise L.G.A?

Table 2: The effects of examination malpractice on the performance of physics

students

S/ Research items SA A D SD N X SD Decision

n
 35

1 The mass failure of 43 62 67 89 261 2.2 18.91 Disagreed

physics students in
external 172 186 134 89 581
examinations like
NECO and WAEC is
due to examination
malpractice.
2 Examination 99 120 27 15 261 3.2 52.04 Agreed
malpractice makes
most physics 396 360 54 15 825
students not to be
able to defend their
certificate.
3 The failure of 58 119 40 44 261 2.7 36.65 Agreed
physics students to
do well in their 232 357 80 44 713
career is due to
examination
malpractice.
4 Examination 57 69 71 64 261 2.5 6.24 Agreed
malpractice leads to
poor academic 228 207 142 64 641
performance of
physics students.
5 Examination 93 130 23 15 261 3.2 55.60 Agreed
malpractice causes
physics students to 372 390 46 15 823
lose confidence in
themselves.
13.8
Grand mean= =2.8
5

Table 2, reveals a grand mean of 2.8, which is equal to or above the bench-mark of

2.50. Therefore the identified effects bring about examination malpractice on the

performance of students in Aboh Mbaise L.G.A.

 36

Research question three: What are the appropriate control measures towards

curbing examination malpractice in secondary school physics students in Aboh

Mbaise L.G.A?

Table 3: The appropriate control measures towards curbing examination

malpractice

S/ Research items SA A D SD N X SD Decision

n
1 The rate of 88 96 45 32 261 2.9 31.51 Agreed
examination
malpractice will 35 288 90 32 762
reduce if physics 2
teachers cover their
scheme of work.
2 Adequate provision 86 124 33 18 261 3.1 48.84 Agreed
of study materials for
secondary school 34 372 66 18 800
physics students 4
reduces examination
malpractice

3 Adequate spacing of 54 109 62 36 261 2.7 31.13 Agreed

physics students
during examination 21 327 124 36 703
reduces examination 6
malpractice
4 Examination 95 134 21 11 261 3.2 59.20 Agreed
malpractice indulged
by physics students 38 402 42 11 835
will reduce if schools 0
employ only
qualified teachers.
5 Moral lessons should 13 103 19 7 261 3.4 61.68 Agreed
 37

be introduced in 2
schools to help 309 38 7 882
physics students 52
know the dangers of 8
examination
malpractice.

15.3
Grand mean= =3.1
5

Table 3, reveals a grand mean of 3.1, which is equal to or above the bench-mark of

2.50. Therefore the identified appropriate control measures curb examination

malpractice in Aboh Mbaise L.G.A.

Summary of findings

From the analysis, it was observed that

 Laziness of students to studies, examination phobia, lack of self-confidence,

lack of qualified teachers, are some factors that lead to examination

malpractice.

 The inability to defend their certificate, inability to do well in their career

and the poor academic performance of students, are effects of examination

malpractice.

 The ability of teachers to cover their scheme of work, and adequate

provision of study material for students, are control measures towards

curbing examination malpractice.

 38

CHAPTER FIVE

DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION. EDUCATIONAL

IMPLICATIONS OF THE STUDY, RECOMMENDATIONS,
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDIES, LIMITATIONS AND
SUMMARY

Discussion of findings

The following are the major findings of this study

Research question one, table 1, reveals the results found from the factors that bring

about examination malpractice in secondary school students in physics in Aboh

Mbaise L.G.A. The result shows that all the research items were agreed as their

calculated grand mean was 3.0.This implies that laziness of students to their study,

the fear of examination difficulties, the lack of self-confidence, inability of

teachers to cover the syllabus, lack of interest to study, and last but not the least,

the lack of appropriate management in school administration are the causes of

examination malpractice. This is in line with the findings of Ajibola (2006) that the
 39

desire to pass at all cost is responsible for examination malpractice. It is also in

agreement with Elizabeth (2019) that the height cause of examination malpractice

is fear of examination failure.

Research question two, table 2, reveals the response of the students on to what the

effects of examination malpractice on the performance of secondary school

students in physics with a grand mean of 2.8, the mean response of the effects on

the performance of secondary school physics students indicates that examination

malpractice leads to poor academic performance of physics students, it was also

discovered that physics students who acquired their certificate through examination

malpractice are unable to defend it. This is in line with Elizabeth (2019) that the

height cause of examination malpractice is fear of failure and the greatest effect is

that it leads to poor academic performance of students.

Research question three, table 3, reveals the result found from the appropriate

measures towards curbing examination malpractice in secondary school physics

students in Aboh Mbaise L.G.A. The result shows that all the items were accepted

as their calculated grand mean was 3.1. This implies that moral lesson’s should be

introduced in schools to help physics students know the dangers of examination

malpractice also that examination malpractice will reduce if physics teachers cover

their scheme of work. This is in line with Elizabeth (2019) that there should be re-

orientation of students on the dangers of examination malpractice.

 40

Conclusion

The findings of the study have revealed that, most physics students are involved in

examination malpractice due to examination phobia. Based on the findings of this

study, it has also been seen that lack of qualified physics teachers bring about

examination malpractice among students. In other words, examination malpractice

makes most physics students not to be able to defend their certificate thereby

making them to lose confidence in themselves. This work has taken a cursory look

at the causes, forms and effects of examination malpractice in secondary schools.

This work also highlights the solutions that can help to bring a lasting solution to

the problem.

Educational implications

1. This study will help the school to be adhere strictly to examination rules in

other to reduce examination malpractice among physics students.

2. Ability of the teachers to cover the syllabus effectively, will help to ensure

that examination malpractice is reduced among students.

3. Teachers should try to educate students on the after effects of examination

malpractice.

4. Government should enforce policies that will help to eradicate examination

malpractice in the educational sector.

 41

5. Parents should be aware that engagement in examination malpractice

reduces the confidence of their wards and thereby questions the competence

of their certificate.

Recommendations

Based on the findings made, the researcher recommends the following:

1. There should be re-orientation toward moral values. Moral instructions that can

adequately provide the understanding of the effects of examination malpractice

should constitute part of the curricular.

2. There should be serious re-orientation of the Nigerian society on discipline

monetary or material achievement such as result/certificates.

3. Logistic value should be applied such as the proper control of the supply,

distribution and custodian of examination materials should be made to avoid

leakage.

4. Guidance and counseling services in secondary schools should also help to offer

counseling to the students in their choices of subject according to their individual

interest and natural ability.

 42

5. The government should encourage and motivate the school administrators by

ensuring that they are all well paid and ensure that their conditions of service and

secured. There is need for adequate provision of educational materials and

facilities that will be conducive and motivate both the students and teachers for

proper and effective teaching and learning.

6. Parents should extol hard work, dignity of labour and discouraged dubious and

fraudulent behavior such as providing their children /wards with money to obtain

marks or question papers.

Parents should make out time to check the performance of their children and start

on time to help them in difficult areas or even pay private teachers to aid them at

home instead of buying marks for them. This will help to control

examination malpractice.

Limitations of the Study

This research work encountered the following limitations

 Difficulty in getting the attention of the respondents to fill the questionnaire

appropriately.

 Some of the schools were very far from the major road which made it

difficult to locate them.

 43

Suggestion for Further Studies.

The researcher suggests that further research should be undertaken in the

following;

 Perceived effect of examination malpractice on students interest in physics

in Aboh Mbaise L.G.A.

 The influence of examination malpractice on the measurement of students

abilities in secondary schools in Aboh Mbaise L.G.A.

Summary of the Study

For several years in Nigeria examination is the most relevant instrument for

selection to educational institutions, jobs, placement and promotion, scholarship

and awards etc. This study investigated the various forms of examination

malpractice indulged among secondary school students in physics in Aboh mbaise

L.G.A. Three (3) research questions were drafted to guide the study. The study was

based on two (2) theories: Behavioral theory of operant conditioning by B.F

Skinner (1937) and social learning theory by Albert Bandura (1977)

Descriptive survey research design was adopted while purposive sampling

technique and a sample size of two hundred and sixty one respondents were used.

In collecting relevant data, a structured questionnaire was used. The questionnaire

in each section was based on the three (3) research questions which contained
 44

twenty (20) research items, and the response type was based on four (4) likert scale

of strongly agreed (SA), agree (A), disagree (D) and strongly disagreed (SD).

Arithmetic mean (X) was used to analyze the data collected, and the decision rule

was base on the derived theoretical mean (2.5). Thus, items which have calculated

mean (X) equal to (=) or greater than (>) the theoretical mean (2.5), were accepted

and otherwise rejected.

The result revealed the following, factors that bring about examination malpractice

include: laziness of students to studying, examination phobia etc. Effects of

examination malpractice include: it leads to poor academic performance of

students, failure of students to do well in their career etc.

 45

REFERENCE

Adegokeh (2016) Investigation of examination malpractice among secondary school students

in Mushin Local Government Area in Lagos State.
Adeyegbe, S.O (2006). How student’s exaniner performs at WAEC examination, education
and manpower Vanguard, Journal of Educational Foundation, 2(1), 47-76.
Aggarwal, J. C. (2007). Essentials of Educational Psycholgy. Masjid Road, Jangpura, New
Delhi, Vikas Publising House.
Ajayi, I. (2005) Easy way to success, Igarra, Onaivi publishers.
Ajibola O. (2006) Advocates of Examination Malpractices. Available on http:/
/ezinea rticles /ed 12th August, 2011.
Akaranga, S.I Ongong, J.J. (2013). The phenomenon of examination malpractice. An example
of Nairobi and Kenyatta Universities, Journal of Education and Practice, 4(18), 87-96.
Akpama et al (2009), The prospects for Education Planning. IIEP. Paris UNESCO.
Edikpa, E.C. (2006). Causes and strategies of curbing examination malpractice in secondary
schools. African Journal of Educational Foundation 2(1), 23-24.
Ejiogu, A. (2007) Problems and prospects of education in Nigerian education: A hi
storical overview. In Emergent issues in Nigerian education. 2(4) 12-18.
 46

Elizabeth (2019) the perceived effects of examination malpractice in teaching and learning of
physics in Owerri Municipal Council Area of Imo State.
Emaikwu, S.O & Eba, E. (2007). Examination Malpractice in tertiary institutions; implications
and the way forward (pp. 389-400).
Itedjere, P.O. (2006) Current issues in Nigeria Educational System. AbrakaDelsu
publishers.
Jimoh, B.O. (2009). Examination malpractice in secondary schools in Nigeria.
What sustains it? European journal of Education studies, 1(5), 101-208.
Maduemezia, M.U. (2010). Examination malpractice in the senior secondary certification
examination: current trends, problems and prospects. WAEC monthly seminar, Lagos.
Nassaj, (2015) Research on science teacher knowledge. In S.K. Abell and N.G. Lederman
(Eds.), Research on Science Teacher Education (pp. 1105-1149). New York: Routledge
Ojerinde, D. (2010). Quality assurance: a practical solution to examination malpractices in
Nigerian Secondary Schools. International Journal of Africa and African American
Studies, 5(2), 15-21.
Omemu, F. (2015) causes of examination malpractice in Nigeria schools. British J
ournal of Education Vol.3, No.7, pp.3441, July 2015 .Published by Europe
an Centre for Research Training and Development UK
Onunuaga (2009) Education for development; an analysis of investment Choice New York:
Oxford University Press.
Paul, N. (2012) Examination Malpractice in Nigeria. Nigeria World Tuesday, Marc
h 6.
Wilayat, B. (2014). Examination malpractice: causes of examination malpractice,
unfair means. Peshawar I.E.R. University of Peshawar.
 47

Appendix A

QUESTIONNAIRE
Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education
Department of Education Physics
P.M.B. 1033, Owerri,
Imo State,
Nigeria.

VARIOUS FORMS OF EXAMINATION MALPRACTICE INDULGED

AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN PHYSICS IN ABOH
MBAISE L.G.A OF IMO STATE
Dear Respondents,

I am a student of the above institution and department, and I am currently

carrying out research on the above subject matter. As a result, I require information
for my primary research from you; for which the below questions were drawn up.

I would very much appreciate it, if you can attempt unbiased, to answer the
questions. All information gotten from you will be treated with utmost
confidentiality and for the purpose of this research alone.
 48

Thanks for your anticipated response.

Yours faithfully,
Anyanwu Valentine C.
(Researcher)

Read the following statement carefully and indicate whether you Strongly Agree

(SA), Agree (A), Strongly Disagree (SD), and Disagree (D) with a tick where you

mostly considered appropriate.

S/n Research items SA A D SD

1 Physics students indulge in examination malpractice due to
laziness.
2 Most times physics students are involved in examination
malpractice due to examination phobia.
3 Most times physics students lack self confidence which cause
them to indulge in examination malpractice.
4. Inadequate study materials in school bring about physics
students to indulge in examination malpractice.
5 Lack of qualified physics teachers bring about examination
malpractice.
6 Willingness of most physics students to pass their
examination at all cost bring about examination malpractice.
7 Uncompleted syllabus by teachers bring about examination
malpractice by physics students.
8 Lack of interest to study causes physics students to indulge in
 49

examination malpractice.
9 Bad influence of peer group in school brings about most
physics students to indulge in examination malpractice.
10 Bad school management bring about most physics students to
indulge in examination malpractice.
Research question one: What are the factors that bring about examination

malpractice in secondary school students in physics in Aboh Mbaise L.G.A?

Research question two: What are the effects of examination malpractice on the

performance of secondary school students in physics in Aboh Mbaise L.G.A?

S/n Research items SA A D SD

1 The mass failure of physics students in external examinations
like NECO and WAEC is due to examination malpractices.
2 Examination malpractice makes most physics students not to
be able to defend their certificate.
3 The failure of physics students to do well in their career is
due to examination malpractice.
4 Examination malpractice leads to poor academic performance
of physics students.
5 Examination malpractice causes physics students to lose
confidence in themselves.
Research question three: What are the appropriate control measures towards

curbing examination malpractice in secondary school students in physics in Aboh

Mbaise L.G.A?

S/n Research items SA A D SD

 50

1 The rate of examination malpractice will reduce if physics

teachers cover their scheme of work.
2 Adequate provision of study materials for secondary school
physics students reduces examination malpractice
3 Adequate spacing of physics students reduces examination
malpractice.
4 Examination malpractice indulged by physics students will
reduce if schools employ only qualified teachers.
5 Moral lessons should be introduced in schools to help physics
students know the dangers of examination malpractice.
 51

Appendix B.

S/N NAME OF SCHOOLS MALE FEMALE TOTAL

1 COMM SEC. SCHOOL LAGWA 106 92 198

2 COMPREHENSIVE SEC. SCHOOL AMUZU 41 33 74

3 ENYIOGUGU SEC. SCHOOL 102 134 236

4 LOJI COMM. SEC. SCHOOL 112 119 231

5 MBAISE SEC. SCHOOL 463 0 463

6 MBUTU SEC. SCHOOL 190 191 381

7 NGURU SEC. COM. SCHOOL 283 339 622

8 NGURU SEC. TECH. SCHOOL 166 199 365

9 OKE-OVORO SEC. SCHOOL 202 269 471

10 OKWUATO SEC. SCHOOL 125 185 310

11 UZUNORJI COMM. SEC. SCHOOL 45 51 96

TOTAL 1835 1612 3447

SOURCE: SEMB, 2023

 52

Appendix C.

SAMPLE DISTRIBUTION OF THE STUDY

S/N NAME OF SCHOOLS SAMPLE SIZE

MALE FEMALE TOTAL

1 MBAISE SEC. SCHOOL 70 0 70

2 COMM SEC. SCHOOL LAGWA 30 40 70

3 OKWUATO SEC. SCHOOL 25 45 70

4 ENYIOGUGU SEC. SCHOOL 22 29 51

TOTAL 147 114 261