Abstract:
Exam cheating is a common problem in Kenya and affects both the lower and higher
levels of education. Earlier studies in Kenya have investigated the methods of exam
malpractices that have been used by students. This study examined the academic and
non-academic stressors among university students in the western region of Kenya. The
purpose was to determine the relationship between the Kenyan university students‟ stress
levels and their attitude towards exam cheating. The level of stress was the independent
variable and the attitude towards exam cheating was the dependent variable. Mediating
variables included gender, the level of education, the type of university and age. This
study adopted a post-positivist paradigm, a quantitative research method and correlation
research design. The study was conducted among Bachelor of Education students from
universities in western Kenya. It was based on attribution theory and cognitive appraisal
theory. Attribution theory is concerned with how individuals interpret events and how
this relates to their thinking and behavior. Cognitive appraisal theory proposes that there
is a meditational process between a stimulus (input) and response (output). The study
population was Bachelor of Education students in western Kenya. A sample of 450
undergraduate students was selected from the schools of education of participating
universities. Three questionnaires were used to collect data. The first was titled Academic
Stress Level (ASL), the second was Non-Academic Stress Level (NASL) and the third
was titled Exam Cheating Attitude (ECA).the instruments were validated using
discriminant and construct validity which yielded 0.7and 0.5 respectively. A pilot study
was conducted at the University of Masinde Muliro. The data obtained was analysed
using descriptive and inferential statistics. The descriptive statistics used included
percentages, frequencies, means and standard deviation. The inferential statistics used
were t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation. These statistics determined the
relationships between Academic Stress Level and Exam Cheating Attitude likewise the
relationship between Non-Academic Stress Levels and Exam Cheating Attitude at the
0.05 level of significance. The study found out that there was a significant difference on
academic stress level based on gender and the year of study. There was also a significant
variation on non-academic stress levels based on the year of study and university type. The first year students had higher mean for the non-academic stress levels than the other
years. On examination cheating attitude a higher percentage of the students expressed an
ambivalent attitude with a significant difference based on the year of study and the type
of university. It was also found that there was a positive correlation between academic
stress level and examination cheating attitude. There was also a significant positive
correlation between non-academic stress level and examination cheating attitude. Based
on the findings it was concluded that most university students experienced high level of
academic stress and female students were found to experience higher academic stress
levels than male students. It was equally concluded that there was a significant positive
relationship between stress levels and exam cheating attitude. This study recommends
that universities should create avenues of helping students to cope with stress as this may
enable them to curb cheating in examinations.