Estime de soi et comportements de fraude aux évaluations chez les étudiants de la 1ère année de master de la faculté des sciences de l’éducation de l’université de Yaoundé 1

Abstract

This study is entitled « Self-esteem and assessment cheating behavior among 1st year Master’s students at the Faculty of Education, University of Yaoundé 1 ». It is based on the observation of massive, regular and almost automatic fraud from students during assessments. Of the many causes mentioned, self-esteem is the most suspected and exposed, but also the most controversial. Faced with this embarrassment, we wondered whether there was a link between fraudulent behaviour and self-esteem. As an anticipated answer to this question, we have formulated the general hypothesis that the cheating behaviours exhibited by students during assessments depend on their self-esteem. Our main objective was to examine or assess the link between self-esteem and the cheating behaviours exhibited by students during assessments. Our hypothesis was operationalized into five research hypotheses, all confirmed by chi-square testing of data collected via two questionnaires from a representative sample of 120 students. However, other factors interact during assessments to drive students to cheat, including stress, anxiety and fear.