MUNCIE, Ind. -- Most college classroom cheating is committed by students who see themselves as being forced into the act, says a Ball State University researcher.

"When high grade point averages lead to better jobs after graduation or play a role in graduate school selection, some students will do anything," said Bernard Whitley, a psychological sciences professor. "In one of my interviews, a student wrote that anything worth having is worth cheating for."

Several recent national surveys have found that about half of all college students admit to cheating, which includes looking at another student’s test, or turning in another student’s paper as their own, at least once during their college years.

Most students only do it a few times. They cheat because they often see no other option, Whitley said.

Other results from surveys include:

• Cheating increases due to pressure for high grades from parents and some educators.

• Rates are lower at colleges with strict honor codes, where solid pressure from their peers discourages students from breaking the rules. Rates are higher at schools where faculty and fellow students are indifferent to cheating.

• Thirty years ago men admitted to misappropriating information more than women. Today, it is about even between the sexes.

• Business and engineering majors are more likely to cheat when it comes to academics than other majors.

Other factors influencing dishonesty include working long hours in college or devoting a great deal of time to extracurricular activities. Students feel they must cheat in order to maintain or obtain higher grades, he said.

"Researchers also have found that about 20 percent of students who cheat do so consistently," Whitley said. "For some, it is a mind set. For others, it is a one time option."

That mind set may begin as early as elementary school when children break or bend the rules to win competitive games against classmates. It peaks during high school when about 75 percent of students admit to some sort of academic misgiving, he said.

As a student grows up through middle and high school, he or she is bombarded with evidence that cheating is acceptable, Whitley said.

Parents and teachers should begin early to communicate what is acceptable, he said.

"A child may see its okay when a parent brags about cheating on tax forms or receiving too much money back from a purchase," Whitley said. "In society, we have sports announcers who praise athletes for being able to get around the rules and avoid penalties.

"Parents and most adults don’t see the type of role models they become. Our children are growing up in a society where it seems that everyone cheats and that is perfectly fine as long as you get what you want and don’t get caught."

(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information, contact Whitley by E-mail at bwhitley@bsu.csh1 or by phone at (765) 285-1692.)