Cheating in Online Second Language Teaching During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review

Covid-19 has expedited the transition of education from traditional to virtual or online instruction. A concomitant of the sudden shift to online teaching was an array of formidable challenges. In particular, teachers encountered several problems in online assessment of students, among which, cheating and more importantly how to prevent it was most formidable. These problems evoked studies across the world to investigate the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on cheating in online exams. The present study is a scoping review systematically examining cheating in online second language teaching with a view of providing insights into impacts of cheating on the quality of online instruction, perspectives of teachers and students concerning cheating, coping strategies used by teachers, and suggesting further research areas and agendas. A total of thirty-five studies were found searching all the Scopus-indexed Applied Linguistics journals. Based on eligibility criteria, fifteen articles were pulled out for analysis. Findings indicate that online teaching and more particularly, online assessment exacerbated cheating around the world. Both teachers and students complained by large that online examinations would inherently encourage students’ cheating. In-class assignments, more advanced online exam options (browser lockdown), use of oral tests, and using more online recording facilities were the main strategies used by teachers to minimise cheating. The paper discusses the implications for future virtual and blended second language instruction and assessment.