Part 3

In my observations, I watched children between the ages of seven to twelve at a middle school during recess. Most were Caucasian and middle-class, thus I was not able to observe racial or socio-economic differences, only gender differences. Some of my observations confirmed what I had read. Children who were angry, aggressive, and did not have a group of friends to talk to on the playground were more likely to cut in line to play on popular equipment. However, the gender difference was much more pronounced than the literature might reveal. Rejected girls seemed more likely to withdraw from games, than attempt to become involved and to cheat to show mastery through cheating.

Another interesting observation was that cheating was not confined to rejected children. I noticed that in one baseball game, a popular and well-liked and highly skilled child was 'inching' off of a base in an attempt to 'steal.' There was also a great deal of 'traveling' in pick-up basketball games, and a denial that someone had been really tagged in games. In one line of children waiting for the swings, a popular girl accepted her friend's offer of a swing, which effectively meant cutting in line in front of everyone else. However, the more popular children seemed to be able to cheat in a more subtle fashion, or to conceal it in the guise of friendship, in the case of the girl, or competition, in the case of the boy baseball player, and thus they were less likely to be challenged. The less well-liked the child, it seemed; the more socially clumsy he or she was apt to be at concealing the cheating. Aggression and conflict was the frequent result when a challenge occurred to the less well-liked children. Skill had...

Children seemed to cheat when they had the opportunity, when they would not be discovered, and the children were not always motivated by bettering their performance at the game, or because they seemed particularly eager to use a particular piece of equipment.
Part 4

My observations suggest that cheating may be a grab for status, but contrary to some of the literature, a lack of social adeptness on the part of some less popular children may be why both adults and children alike see them as 'cheaters.' Children who are popular and possess better social skills may be able to cheat within the rules of the actual and social 'games' without appearing to transgress those rules, as well as have less of a need to cheat.

Works Cited

De Mott, Dianne K. Daeg. "Cheating." http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g2602" Encyclopedia of Childhood and Adolescence. 2008. 6 Mar 2008. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g2602/is_0001/ai_2602000126

Guerra, Vito S., Steven R. Asher, & Melissa E. DeRosier. "Effect of children's perceived rejection on physical aggression." Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology.

Oct 2004. 6 Mar 2008 http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/summary_0199-893418_ITM

Keep kids away from lying and cheating." Parenting and Family.

MSNBC. 6 Apr 2005. 6 Mar 2008. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7390185/

Rubin, Ronnie M. "Children's verbalizations and cheating behavior during game playing: the role of sociometric status, aggression, and gender." Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. Feb 2003. 6 Mar 2008. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0902/is_1_31/ai_97891763/print