Determinants of Examination Malpractices Among Kenyan Public Universities

Abstract

Examination malpractice is a major problem in many universities in Kenya and world over. Many students have been expelled or suspended, leading to either delayed graduation or non-completion of their courses altogether. This study sought to determine the factors influencing examination malpractice among Kenyan university students. Cross-sectional study design and cluster sampling were adopted. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data and data was collected from four public universities. The dependent variable was examination malpractice, while school, home, course and student factors were independent variables. Multiple linear regression was used to fit a model between examination malpractice as the dependent variable and school, home, course and student factors as the independent variables. The data collected were cleaned, coded, captured and analyzed using SPSS version 27. Results obtained showed that the prevalence of examination malpractice in Kenyan Public Universities is 56.2%. It was further noted that significant relationships exist between school factors and examination malpractice, home factors and examination malpractice, course factors and examination malpractice and student factors and examination malpractice. This study recommends that universities need to strengthen their guidance and counseling units and the parents and guardians need to regularly monitor the academic progress of  their children.