The Perception of Senior Secondary School Teachers on Examination Malpractice in Western Rural District, Sierra Leone.

Abstract

This study investigated the Perception of Senior Secondary school Teachers on Examination Malpractice in Western Rural District of Sierra Leone. The study was led by four research objectives which were to; find out the demographic characteristic of respondents, determine the forms of examination malpractice in senior secondary schools, examine the causes of examination malpractice in senior secondary schools. Assess the effects of examination malpractice in senior secondary schools. The descriptive survey design was adopted for this study and primary and secondary data were collected. A total of 297 teachers responded to the Questionnaire and Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and Interviews.

Data collection was done by using questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussions, observations and documentary review. The findings indicated that examination malpractices are prevalent in both private and public schools, affecting both male and female students.  Forms of malpractice include leakages, impersonation, and borrowing materials. Teachers often resort to malpractice for various reasons, such as fear of failure, lack of confidence, and promotion. The effects of malpractice include poor academic performance, poor social life, low communication skills, memory loss, and diminished Intelligence Quotient. Lastly.to combat this issue, the researcher recommends that education bodies should intensify awareness about the dangers of malpractice and improve student study habits.

Keywords: Perception, Senior Secondary School, Teachers, Examination Malpractice, western Rural Sierra Leone.