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.