Cognitive Dissonance in Dealing with Plagiarism in Academic Writing (original) (raw)
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The study examined university students' plagiarism in completing written assignments. The specific aspects studied were frequency of citation and help-seeking strategies, attitudes towards penalties for plagiarism and rationalisations for omission of citations. Questionnaires were distributed at the beginning and end of an Academic Reading and Writing course at a Malaysian public university. The analysis of 169 pre-and 126 post-questionnaires indicate that after formal instruction on citation conventions, self-reports of appropriate citation and help-seeking strategies for assignment completion increased. There were no significant changes in self-reports of unethical help-seeking strategies but the respondents reported significantly less use of some unethical citation strategies. Surprisingly, at the end of the semester, fewer students agreed that students caught for plagiarism should fail the assignment, possibly due to heightened awareness of their own assignment completion strategies which run into plagiarism. In the postquestionnaire, fewer respondents justified omission of citations on the grounds of lack of knowledge and non-deduction of marks for omitting citations in assignments. With an increase in appropriate assignment completion strategies and a concomitant decrease in inappropriate strategies, there is a lessened need to resolve the cognitive dissonance arising from inconsistency between maintaining a moral self-image and committing academic misconduct.
The study examined the seriousness of plagiarism in university students' written assignments. The specific objectives of the study were to: (1) identify the plagiarism behaviours used by students to complete their written assignments; (2) determine students' attitudes towards penalties of plagiarism; and (3) determine reasons for the occurrence of plagiarism. Questionnaires were distributed to students enrolled in an academic reading and writing course at a non-research intensive Malaysian university. Analysis of 169 questionnaires showed all the students had been involved in some plagiarism behaviours to complete their assignments, primarily use of materials without properly acknowledging the source of the information. The students did not treat plagiarism as a serious act of academic dishonesty as shown by their preference for light penalties for students caught for plagiarism. It seems that the students' lack of awareness on the severity of plagiarism may be due to the lack of emphasis on inclusion of citations in assignments by lecturers. The findings suggest that it is not enough to teach students the conventions of citation and referencing but they need to be educated on the practices of academia, particularly pertaining to research, publications and academic honesty in use of materials.
The study examined university students' awareness and practices of academic writing which may border on plagiarism. The specific aspects examined were: (1) perceptions of university requirements on inclusion of citations in assignments, (2) practices of academic writing dealing with acknowledgement of intellectual property; and (3) rating of appropriateness of penalties for plagiarism. A survey of university students was conducted. The results indicated uncertainty with regards to their lecturers' expectations of citations and inadequate knowledge of citation conventions. The students were also uncertain as to whether they had to acknowledge information they paraphrased from Internet sources. There were mixed views on the acceptability of writing practices bordering on plagiarism as well as the appropriateness of penalties for plagiarism in assignments. The findings suggest that the lack of awareness on plagiarism could contribute to unintentional acts of plagiarism, and this is an important area which cannot be neglected in the education of post-secondary school students who have to deal with intertextuality in their academic studies.
Plagiarism in academic writing among students of higher learning institutions in Malaysia
Institut Terjemahan dan Buku Malaysia eBooks, 2016
With the emergence of cyber technology used as a learning tool, be it in the form of e-learning or as a means for finding and sharing information, many academic institutions are faced with unethical behaviors and misuse of technology, which has been an area of concern for a considerable number of years. Plagiarism and academic dishonesty have been discussed through various perspectives among educators, researchers, educational policy-makers, as well as media reporters. Yet, the problem remains unsolved indicating that either the issue has not been fully understood to the extent that can lead to an appropriate approach, or that the strategies developed have not been appropriately and sufficiently implemented. This paper engaged a mixed method of quantitative and qualitative enquiries to triangulate the findings in the attempt to investigate the factors that influence plagiarism and develop strategies to minimize this behavior, using Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), this time viewed from an Islamic perspective. The questionnaire survey was administered in four selected universities in Malaysia and involved a sample of 400 students, while the qualitative procedures included semi-structured interviews with five post graduate students and an open-ended survey. The analysis revealed that besides the original elements of the TPB there were other newly emerging elements, among which the element of Religiosity was visualized as an umbrella and had its influence on every other aspect of the issue. The revised model is provided with the hope that it offers strong implications for educational policy makers, academics as well as students in their quest to minimize plagiarism and academic dishonesty, and to also accomplish the aspiration for quality writing in higher learning institutions.
Plagiarisim: A review of why Malaysian students commit the academic dishonour
2014 International Symposium on Technology Management and Emerging Technologies, 2014
Plagiarism seems to have proliferated and become notoriously comparable to an epidemic in the academia, particularly in IHLs (institutions of higher learning). It is a problem which threatens the very core of academic sanctity, raising questions on the marred honour and integrity in a world generally presumed to be inherently virtuous and trustworthy. Whether plagiarism is committed and condone, consciously or unintentionally, the results are not very much different, with students being the very victims of the academic plague: distorted learning experience and undervalued learning outcomes. In addition, the internet has served as a two-edge sword cutting both ways, providing greater access to information and knowledge yet encouraging, though inevitably sometimes, increasing incidents of minor and major intellectual thefts. The circumstances notwithstanding, there is a need to review the culture of integrity or lack of in universities, where it encompasses the institution and system as a whole, the staff as the moral compass and the students seeking transparency and guidance in the matter. It is imperative to identify why students engage in plagiarism, how the current learning environment may have contributed to the rise in such misconduct, and what can be done to mitigate and circumvent plagiarism before it grows out of hand. A good grasp of the 'whys' and 'hows' can lead to the formulation of effective strategies and solutions, i.e. the 'whats'. This paper explores the reasons students plagiarize in Malaysian IHLs, particularly the public universities.
MALAYSIAN PUBLIC UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' ATTITUDE TOWARDS PLAGIARISM
JOURNAL OF LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION, 2015
Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty that affects the academic integrity of educational institutions worldwide. However, the need to curb plagiarism is immensely influenced by the lack of student understanding of what actually constitutes plagiarism. Thus, this study aims to explore Malaysian public university students' attitude towards plagiarism through a questionnaire survey among public university students in Malaysia. The findings highlight that the students were not aware that certain activities they considered as non-plagiarism actually constitute some form of plagiarism and vice versa. The study provided evidence that a significant proportion of the students had engaged in plagiarism activities to a certain degree. Students also looked forward for more lenient penalties by the university if they were found to have plagiarized. The findings have significant implications for educators if they intend to improve the detection and punishment of plagiarism to educate potential perpetrators.
Plagiarism: Proactive prevention instead of reactive punishment
Purpose -. This study investigated whether providing university students with extra feedback regarding their referencing improves their referencing confidence and reduces their propensity to plagiarise. The study also sought to increase our understanding of what factors underlie student plagiarism. Design/methodology/approach -Undergraduate and post-graduate accounting students were surveyed regarding their experience when completing a formative essay designed to give feedback on their referencing ability. All students in one undergraduate and one postgraduate accounting course were invited to participate in a post-assessment, electronically administered survey consisting of sixteen questions. Findings -The results indicate that a considerable number of the students perceived the formative assessment to be of benefit with respect to improving their referencing confidence. A significant proportion of the students indicated that their understanding of what constitutes plagiarism and their confidence in avoiding plagiarism improved as a result of the assessment and its associated feedback. Research limitations/implications -This study supports the provision of assessment designed to assist students with improving their ability to both recognise and avoid plagiarism in their written work. However, this research has not investigated whether these types of exercises lead to an actual reduction in the incidence of plagiarism in tertiary student cohorts. This is an area for future research.
Evaluation of studentÂ’s perception and behavior towards plagiarism in Pakistani universities
Acta bioethica, 2013
Background: The prevalence of academic delinquency in universities, predominantly in the form of plagiarism and cheating, is extensively conceded. Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate student's perception and behavior towards plagiarism in Pakistani universities. Methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted in 6 academic disciplines in 35 universities in Pakistan during 21.02.2011-21.04.2011. Expert interviewers and learned educationists carried out the interviews with the help of a structured questionnaire to evaluate student's knowledge about plagiarism such as (i) student's knowledge about HEC policy, (ii) student's attitude towards plagiarism, (iii) student's satisfaction towards plagiarism and cheating, and (iv) their views for penalties (What should be the penalties for 1 st and 2 nd occurrence of plagiarism?) and recorded the responses. Results: This survey was accomplished by 25742 students. The response rate for awareness about HEC policy about plagiarism showed that significantly (p<0.05) low percentage (94%) of students was unaware of this policy. The attitudes of significantly (p<0.05) high percentage of students towards plagiarism behavior were unacceptable. Significantly (p<0.05) high response rate towards attitudes regarding punishment for plagiarism was warning and report to HOD for first and second occurrence of this cheating, respectively. Conclusions: An extensive lack was found in the understanding of students towards plagiarism across all the universities. It is necessary to achieve balance between factors affecting plagiarism such avoidance, finding and sentence in case of detection.
Malaysian Students' Understanding of Plagiarism
Malay, 2011
Academic institutions around the world have been plagued with the issue of plagiarism. In tertiary learning institutions in Malaysia, students are taught to write academic papers using correct referencing and citation rules. Yet, many of them still face difficulties in applying the rules. This paper investigates the extent of Malaysian students' understanding on plagiarism, referencing and citation rules. Questionnaires consisting of 3 sections were distributed by email to students studying in various institutions locally and abroad. Forty-eight Malaysian students responded via email and they come from different semesters taking different courses. The data collected reveals that students do have some basic understanding of plagiarism. However, their understanding on plagiarism and referencing rules can be categorized as weak. The results imply that educators may need to do more classes and give more info on plagiarism and referencing rules so as to reduce the number of students committing plagiarism.