Students’ Perceptions on the Role of Invigilation in Reducing Cheating During Examinations
Over the years, educational systems in both developed and developing countries have been grappling with very serious problems of examination irregularities, including cheating. According to Teigaga (2025), examination integrity is a cornerstone of academic assessment, serving as a fundamental measure of students’ knowledge, skills, and overall learning outcomes. It ensures that academic qualifications accurately reflect a student’s capabilities and competencies (Asuru, 2012). However, examination irregularities such as cheating, plagiarism, impersonation, and collusion pose significant threats to this integrity, leading to concerns about the credibility and validity of academic credentials (Omiebi, 2016). Such breaches not only compromise the fairness of the examination process but also erode public trust in educational institutions and their graduates.
Okorie (2018) and Amadi and Opuiyo (2018), observed that most examination irregularities occur while the examination is in progress, in the form of students bringing in unauthorised materials, writing on currency notes and identity cards, spying on other candidates in examination halls, substitution of answer sheets and impersonation, among others. For example, Clariana et al.’s (2013) study in Spain reported that, more than half 50% of the students had a habit of often cheating, and boys cheat noticeably more frequently than girls. Related findings were also reported in other studies carried out in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Croatia by Dodeen (2012) and Taradi et al. (2010), who revealed that students admitted to having engaged in dishonest academic behaviour, including cheating while taking examinations.
Invigilation, the process which involves the supervision of students during examinations, is widely regarded as a critical mechanism for deterring such dishonest practices and ensuring equity among examinees (Rosalind, 2016). The core purpose of invigilation is to ensure each student sits the examination under equal conditions and to actively deter unauthorized behaviour such as copying, whispering, or using electronic devices to access answers (Awoniyi et al., 2024). Nevertheless, Nkechi and Njoku (2016), argued that while invigilation plays a major role in curbing examination irregularities, its effectiveness depends on an individual invigilator. Kumar and Nair (2020), stressed that invigilators who are vigilant ensures that examination malpractice is far from the examination centre. They also ensure that any attempts at malpractice are promptly identified and addressed. However, if an invigilator is lazy or irresponsible might aid or allow examination malpractice to occur right behind their nose (Williams and Wong, 2009).
Pritchard (2018) and O’Sullivan (2019) in their studies reported that students believed that cheating was less prevalent in examination rooms where invigilators were vigilant, mobile, and actively engaged in monitoring candidates. Similarly, Starovoytova and Arimi (2017), noted that students perceived the likelihood of engaging in dishonest behaviour to decrease when invigilators maintained constant visibility and enforced rules consistently. These findings suggest that the students’ fear of being caught is a powerful influence on their conduct. In the same vein, Cluskey et al. (2011) reported that students believed that strict invigilation reduced temptation to cheat, even among those who might otherwise consider dishonest practices. Students in their study expressed that knowing an invigilator was attentive made cheating too risky, thereby encouraging compliance with examination regulations.
However, Newton (2016) contends that students often equate strong invigilation with fairness, arguing that supervision protects honest students from being disadvantaged by dishonest peers. In this regard, invigilators, as personnel responsible for supervising examinations, act as frontline defenders of academic integrity, whose vigilance and familiarity with institutional policies help reduce the incidence of examination irregularities, including cheating. Vincent-Robinson (2016), proposed that invigilators should be given a small allowance to motivate them and ensure that they are vigilant during the exam period. Therefore, the presence, alertness, and conduct of invigilators play a decisive role in shaping student’s behaviour in the examination room.
Students’ Views on the Adequacy of Current Invigilation Practices in Ensuring Exam Integrity
The adequacy of invigilation practices plays a crucial role in safeguarding the integrity, credibility, and fairness of examination systems in all levels of education. Oguche et al. (2023), states that examinations serve not only as a measure of individual academic performance but also as a basis for certification, progression, and professional competence. Consequently, the effectiveness of invigilation practices is critical in ensuring that assessment outcomes genuinely reflect students’ knowledge and abilities rather than their capacity to exploit weaknesses in supervision (Danbaba and Bako, 2021). McCabe et al. (2006), argued that when invigilation is adequately structured and effectively implemented, it minimizes opportunities for academic malpractice, promotes equity among candidates, and reinforces confidence in the legitimacy of academic credentials. Conversely, inadequate or poorly conducted invigilation undermines the purpose of examinations by creating opportunities for students to engage in cheating, collusion, impersonation, and other forms of academic malpractice (Forkuor et al., 2019; Dadzie and Annan-Brew, 2023).
As observed by Gallant (2017), where invigilators are inattentive, biased, or inadequately prepared, students often perceive examinations as unfair or manipulable, which in turn weakens trust in academic assessment systems. In such cases, the validity of examination results is compromised, and the credibility of academic qualifications is called into question (Bretag et al., 2019). Adequate invigilation, therefore, is not merely a procedural requirement but a core quality assurance mechanism that upholds academic standards, institutional reputation, and public confidence in educational qualifications (Alabi, 2014). A study conducted by Balbuena and Lamela (2015) focusing on the prevalence, motives, and views of academic dishonesty among students in higher education, reported that many students perceived invigilation as ineffective when invigilators appeared distracted, permissive, or indifferent. The study further revealed that students reported that in such situations, cheating was viewed as a normal and low-risk activity. This perception was reinforced in a study by Siamunako and Magasu (2021), where students unanimously acknowledged that examination malpractice was widespread despite the presence of invigilators, largely because supervision was perceived as weak. Blau et al. (2017) further reiterates that some invigilators do not care about possible exam irregularities but are engaged in other activities including reading newspaper, marking reports, watching videos and chatting during examinations.
More interestingly, the findings of another study carried out by Akindele (2018), revealed that students believed cheating was more likely when invigilators showed favouritism, accepted inducements, or failed to sanction offenders. The study further reported that students expressed the belief that invigilation existed only as a formality rather than a meaningful control mechanism. One would therefore argue that, the prevalent of such practices by invigilators when conducting examinations weakens student’s confidence in examination systems and reduces trust in institutional commitment to integrity. In the same vein, Curtis and Clare’s (2017) study indicated that students reported that some invigilators ignored suspicious behaviour, engaged in private conversations, or allowed students to consult unauthorised materials. The findings also indicated that students perceived invigilation as symbolic rather than effective. Similarly, in his study, Olatunbosun (2009) reported that students viewed invigilation as ineffective when institutional stakeholders indirectly encouraged malpractice through silence or tolerance.
In concordance with the above study, Mulongo et al. (2019) in their study also reported that some students admitted that familiarity between invigilators and candidates reduced the perceived risk of punishment, thereby encouraging malpractice. This suggests that students judge the effectiveness of invigilation not only by its presence, but by the professionalism and impartiality of those enforcing it. Related findings were also reported in another study done by Ndukanio and Silas (2023) on the factors influencing examination malpractices among students, where it was revealed that 52% of the students reported that the teachers gave some students hints that help them answer exams questions. This is supported by Situma and Wasike’s (2020), study which found that the persistence of the challenge of examination malpractice in Kenyan colleges and Universities is as a result of involvement of academic staff and other officials in the unethical practice. The study also reported that poor invigilation including lack of enough invigilators in exam rooms and overcrowding lead to exam cheating.
Moreover, other studies conducted in Kenya and Tanzania revealed that the majority of students reported that some examination strategies, including invigilation, and checking of students before allowing them to enter the examination venues were not effectively implemented, thereby creating opportunities for cheating (Ambani et al., 2019; Rwezaura et al., 2023). Okoe and Adie (2016) and Hassan and Watt (2017) in their studies further indicated that students felt that invigilation methods were ineffective in preventing cheating, often due to limited invigilator mobility and insufficient training in spotting sophisticated malpractice strategies. Therefore, while invigilation remains a critical mechanism for maintaining academic integrity, its effectiveness or adequacy in preventing examination dishonest, including cheating is largely dependent on the competence, training, and active engagement of invigilators.