Students’ Perspectives on Invigilation as An Approach to Prevent Academic Dishonesty: A Case of Higher Education Institutions in Zambia

Abstract

The study explored students’ perspectives on invigilation as an approach to prevent academic dishonesty, focusing on the higher learning institutions in Zambia. Through utilizing exploratory research design and convenient sampling, 295 students participated in assessing their perception of the effectiveness of invigilation, analyzing how adequate invigilation practices prevent academic dishonesty, and examining students’ experiences with different methods of invigilation during examinations. Findings revealed that invigilation is an effective method in reducing examination cheating, as agreed by the majority of participants (40.3%). The study further established that participants were satisfied by the adequacy in relation to the number of invigilators during examinations, as shown by 40.9% of participants. It was also found that among the three methods of invigilation, physical invigilation was indicated as the most effective. From the findings, the study recommended that higher learning institutions may need to adopt hybrid methods of invigilation; this was seen as a way through which examination cheating could be reduced. Furthermore, it was noted that adopting the hybrid method may help to reduce anxiety among students while improving vigilance among invigilators.