There is still plenty of sting in being called a liar. Students who shrug when accused of cheating get positively outraged at being accused of lying. Cheating is lying. By calling it what it is, teachers can begin to make a dent in the widespread acceptance of cheating. Focusing on the dishonesty of cheating places a speed bump on the highway of acceptable student behavior.
Students get it.
Calling someone a liar may seem harsh, but that's precisely the point. For students to acknowledge that cheating is a problem, they must feel it as something which is truly wrong. 1999 Editorial Projects in Education Vol.