Comparative Reading Analysis - Free Essay Example

Comparative Reading Analysis There are different ways to analyze every piece of what we read. There are different structures, visual cues and stylistic differences among each text. Coming up, we are able to take a look at three different articles all weighing in on the same subject: cheating. From these articles we will be able to analyze each style of writing that each author portrays. We will also be able to compare and contrast these articles through something most commonly known as comparative reading. Most students think it is okay to cheat because they know that others around them are doing it as well. In â€Å"Curbing Cheating, Raising Integrity†, â€Å"Schools for Scandal†, and â€Å"Academic Dishonesty: Perceptions of Business Students† we get a closer look at cheating and what is really happening around schools throughout the country. From Education Digest, â€Å"Curbing Cheating, Raising Integrity† by Peter S. Strom and Robert D. Strom, they found that people of all ages and backgrounds cheat. Cheating is becoming more and more common and teachers choose to ignore the cheating that goes on in their classrooms. Pressures from our peers, teachers, and parents have taken a toll on how we act in our own classrooms. According to 70% of educators, identifying cheaters rarely happens because of how the parents would react, sometimes even resulting in lawsuits. Other ways of cheating include using cell phones and other devices, and even paying others to take tests for them. Students think plagiarism is okay as well, while some even pay for a pre-written paper. More challenged thinking and essays were some suggestions given by a student from Alabama to reduce cheating. From this article, we can see that the audience is aimed towards more parents and educators about ways to help students avoid cheating. Peter S. Strom and Robert D. Strom also use more of an ethos appeal towards its audience. This means that they have an aut hority in their field and they mention other experts as they are knowledgeable about the topic of concern. The authors want the readers to be aware of how much cheating is really happening in today’s society and that it actually does happen. Even though the subject is often left unspoken, it is still a common practice. This article seemed to grab my attention because I felt that I could understand what the author was trying to say, without getting too technical. Schools for Scandal†, an article from USA Today notes that cheating is huge factor in elite business schools. So many people easily admit to cheating which seems to come across as no big deal even though it is. Today’s society is so comfortable with it and it only continues to become more and more common. Cheating is also used in the business world as a way to get ahead. The author from this article seems as if they are familiar with the business field. They take more of a look on how cheating is used to further one’s career, aiming towards the students. For me, I was drawn to this article because the article began with a cheating statistic concerning students from Duke University. Carter C. Rakovski and Elliott S. Levy look in to cheating, more particularly in business students in â€Å"Academic Dishonesty: Perceptions of Business Students† from the College Student Journal. Bad business ethics has taken a toll in the workplace, which most often are carried on from college. Students at a business college were surveyed to see what they thought should be the penalty for academic dishonesty and how often it is happening, which was then compared to data from a general student survey. It has also been shown that cheating in higher education is increasing. Anonymous surveys were taken to determine what people thought penalties should be for cheating, how bad it actually is and how often it occurs. From this article we can see that the authors backed up their informatio n from lots of research. They looked at cheating from a more statistical side, using surveys to get what they need, specifically about business students. This article was aimed towards research scientists, so when I read this article I felt overwhelmed with what I was reading because I did not feel like the information was directed at me. Looking at these articles we obviously know that they each have a common theme: cheating. Each of these articles shows cheating from a different perspective. The first article uses a more basic view, while the second uses more of a business look at cheating. The third article gets the most technical, with research and lots of statistics. However, from the third article â€Å"Academic Dishonesty: Perceptions of Business Students†, the information was hard to follow because the structure was a research data setup for studying purposes. I believe this article would lose attraction from its readers as they read more and more of the article especially because sometimes the structure is all that attracts a reader to an article and comparative reading has showed us just this. We should think about taking the time each day to study and do well so we do not have to result in cheating. Is cheating really necessary? Sure, just because others around us may cheat does not mean that we need to either. In this case, we need to learn to not follow by example. We should also ask: what constitutes as cheating? Is it okay to get help from a friend with homework? How far can we go without it being considered cheating? Just how far is too far. Another question that we should think about is how much trouble we can get in for cheating? If there are not severe enough consequences for our actions, then we are more likely to continue to cheat. Cheating is becoming more and more common especially in younger students. Eventually, cheating will be such a common habit, that I think consequences will become diminished.