Student and Teacher Perceptions of Plagiarism in Academic Writing
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/wap.v2i2.251Keywords:
EFL/ESL Writing, Plagiarism, university disciplines, academic writing, LebanonAbstract
Writing is no easy task in any discipline and at any stage in a student’s course of university study. In addition, it brings with it the important concern of plagiarism. Obtaining student and teacher perceptions of the strategies students use to produce their assignments has been valuable in identifying and dealing with plagiarism. This article reports on a survey carried out at one English-medium university in Lebanon of 358 Arabic student views by discipline and year and 31 teacher views on the strategies students use to “improve” their written assignments. Results show that although students are aware of the prevalence of plagiarism in all disciplines and in all years of study, they perceive more incidences in the professional disciplines, at advanced levels, and in student use of strategies that give help to and gain help from their peers. Teachers indicated higher student use of all strategies and a greater extent of plagiarism than did the students. Recommendations in line with recent research emphasizing more positive methods are made for raising student awareness of ethical writing strategies, establishing common ground on what constitutes plagiarism, and implementing pedagogical practices and institutional policies that educate rather than penalize.
References
Angelil-Carter, S. (2000) Stolen Language? Plagiarism in Writing. London: Pearson.
Bennett, R. (2005) Factors associated with student plagiarism in a post-1992 university. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 30(2): 137–162.
Brown, V. and Howell. M. (2001) The efficacy of policy statements on plagiarism: Do they change students’ views? Research in Higher Education 421: 103–118.
Culwin, F. (2006) An active introduction to academic misconduct and the measured demographics of misconduct. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 31(2): 167–182.
Currie, P. (1998) Staying out of trouble: Apparent plagiarism and academic survival. Journal of Second Language Writing 7(1): 1–18.
Davis, S. and Ludvigson, H. (1995) Additional data on academic dishonesty and a proposal for remediation. Teaching of Psychology 22(2): 119–121.
Duggan, F. (2006) Editorial: Plagiarism: Prevention, practice, policy. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 31(2): 151–154.
Ellery, K. (2008) Undergraduate plagiarism: A pedagogical perspective. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 33(5): 507–516.
Franklyn-Stokes, A. and Newstead, S. (1995) Undergraduate cheating: Who does what and why? Studies in Higher Education 20(2): 159–172.
Gu, Q. and Brooks, J. (2008) Beyond the accusation of plagiarism. System 36: 337–352.
Hall, J. (2005) Plagiarism across the curriculum: How academic communities can meet the challenge of the undocumented writer. Across the Disciplines 2. Retrieved 23 August 2009 from http://wac.colostate.edu/atd/articles/hall2005.cfm
Hatch, E. and Lazaraton A. (1991) The Research Manual: Design and Statistics for Applied Linguistics. Rowley, Massachusetts: Newbury House.
Johns, A. (1997) Text, Role and Context: Developing Academic Literacies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Landau, J., Druen, P., and Arcuri, J. (2002) Methods for helping students avoid plagiarism. Teaching of Psychology 29(2): 112–115.
Larkham, P. and Manns, S. (2002) Plagiarism and its treatment in higher education. Journal of Further and Higher Education 26(4): 339–349.
Lathrop, A. and Foss, K. (2000) Student Cheating and Plagiarism in the Internet Era: A Wake-up Call. Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited.
Leask, B. (2006) Plagiarism, cultural diversity and metaphor – Implications for academic staff development. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 31(2): 183—199.
Lillis, T. (2003) Student writing as ‘academic literacies’: Drawing on Bakhtin to move from critique to design. Language and Education 17(3): 192–207.
Macdonald, R. and Carroll, J. (2006) Plagiarism – a complex issue requiring a holistic institutional approach. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 31(2): 233–245.
McCabe, D., Feghali, T., and Abdallah, H. (2008) Academic dishonesty in the Middle East: Individual and contextual factors. Research in Higher Education 49: 451–467.
McKeever, L. (2006) Online plagiarism detector services – Saviour or scourge. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 31(2): 155–165.
Park, C. (2003) In other (people’s) words: Plagiarism by university students – literature and lessons. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 28(5): 471–488.
Park, C. (2004) Rebels without a cause: Towards an institutional framework for dealing with plagiarism by students. Journal of Further and Higher Education 28(3): 291–306.
Pecorari, D. (2003) Good and original: Plagiarism and patchwriting in academic second language writing. Journal of Second Language Writing 12: 317–345.
Pickard, J. (2006) Staff and student attitudes to plagiarism at University College Northampton. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 31(2): 215–232.
Randall, M. (2001) Pragmatic Plagiarism: Authorship, Profit, and Power. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Robillard, A. (2007) We won’t get fooled again: On the absence of angry responses to plagiarism in composition studies. College English 70(1): 10–31.
Scanlon, P. M. and Newmann, D. R. (2002) Internet plagiarism among college students. Journal of College Student Development 43: 375–384.
Selwyn, N. (2008) ‘Not necessary a bad thing…’ A study of online plagiarism amongst undergraduate students. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 33(5): 465–479.
Simon, C., Carr, J., McCullough, S., Morgan, S., Oleson, T., and Ressel, M. (2004) Gender, student perceptions, institutional commitments and academic dishonesty cases Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 29(1): 75–90.
Sutherland-Smith, W. (2005) Pandora’s box: Academic perceptions of student plagiarism in writing. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 4(1): 83–95.
Vandehey, M., Diekhoff, G., and LaBeff, E. (2007) College cheating: A twenty-year followup and the addition of an honor code. Journal of College Student Development 48(4): 468—480.
Walker, J. (1998) Student plagiarism in universities: What are we doing about it? Higher Education Research and Development 17(1): 89–106.
Bennett, R. (2005) Factors associated with student plagiarism in a post-1992 university. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 30(2): 137–162.
Brown, V. and Howell. M. (2001) The efficacy of policy statements on plagiarism: Do they change students’ views? Research in Higher Education 421: 103–118.
Culwin, F. (2006) An active introduction to academic misconduct and the measured demographics of misconduct. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 31(2): 167–182.
Currie, P. (1998) Staying out of trouble: Apparent plagiarism and academic survival. Journal of Second Language Writing 7(1): 1–18.
Davis, S. and Ludvigson, H. (1995) Additional data on academic dishonesty and a proposal for remediation. Teaching of Psychology 22(2): 119–121.
Duggan, F. (2006) Editorial: Plagiarism: Prevention, practice, policy. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 31(2): 151–154.
Ellery, K. (2008) Undergraduate plagiarism: A pedagogical perspective. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 33(5): 507–516.
Franklyn-Stokes, A. and Newstead, S. (1995) Undergraduate cheating: Who does what and why? Studies in Higher Education 20(2): 159–172.
Gu, Q. and Brooks, J. (2008) Beyond the accusation of plagiarism. System 36: 337–352.
Hall, J. (2005) Plagiarism across the curriculum: How academic communities can meet the challenge of the undocumented writer. Across the Disciplines 2. Retrieved 23 August 2009 from http://wac.colostate.edu/atd/articles/hall2005.cfm
Hatch, E. and Lazaraton A. (1991) The Research Manual: Design and Statistics for Applied Linguistics. Rowley, Massachusetts: Newbury House.
Johns, A. (1997) Text, Role and Context: Developing Academic Literacies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Landau, J., Druen, P., and Arcuri, J. (2002) Methods for helping students avoid plagiarism. Teaching of Psychology 29(2): 112–115.
Larkham, P. and Manns, S. (2002) Plagiarism and its treatment in higher education. Journal of Further and Higher Education 26(4): 339–349.
Lathrop, A. and Foss, K. (2000) Student Cheating and Plagiarism in the Internet Era: A Wake-up Call. Englewood, Colorado: Libraries Unlimited.
Leask, B. (2006) Plagiarism, cultural diversity and metaphor – Implications for academic staff development. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 31(2): 183—199.
Lillis, T. (2003) Student writing as ‘academic literacies’: Drawing on Bakhtin to move from critique to design. Language and Education 17(3): 192–207.
Macdonald, R. and Carroll, J. (2006) Plagiarism – a complex issue requiring a holistic institutional approach. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 31(2): 233–245.
McCabe, D., Feghali, T., and Abdallah, H. (2008) Academic dishonesty in the Middle East: Individual and contextual factors. Research in Higher Education 49: 451–467.
McKeever, L. (2006) Online plagiarism detector services – Saviour or scourge. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 31(2): 155–165.
Park, C. (2003) In other (people’s) words: Plagiarism by university students – literature and lessons. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 28(5): 471–488.
Park, C. (2004) Rebels without a cause: Towards an institutional framework for dealing with plagiarism by students. Journal of Further and Higher Education 28(3): 291–306.
Pecorari, D. (2003) Good and original: Plagiarism and patchwriting in academic second language writing. Journal of Second Language Writing 12: 317–345.
Pickard, J. (2006) Staff and student attitudes to plagiarism at University College Northampton. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 31(2): 215–232.
Randall, M. (2001) Pragmatic Plagiarism: Authorship, Profit, and Power. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Robillard, A. (2007) We won’t get fooled again: On the absence of angry responses to plagiarism in composition studies. College English 70(1): 10–31.
Scanlon, P. M. and Newmann, D. R. (2002) Internet plagiarism among college students. Journal of College Student Development 43: 375–384.
Selwyn, N. (2008) ‘Not necessary a bad thing…’ A study of online plagiarism amongst undergraduate students. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 33(5): 465–479.
Simon, C., Carr, J., McCullough, S., Morgan, S., Oleson, T., and Ressel, M. (2004) Gender, student perceptions, institutional commitments and academic dishonesty cases Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 29(1): 75–90.
Sutherland-Smith, W. (2005) Pandora’s box: Academic perceptions of student plagiarism in writing. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 4(1): 83–95.
Vandehey, M., Diekhoff, G., and LaBeff, E. (2007) College cheating: A twenty-year followup and the addition of an honor code. Journal of College Student Development 48(4): 468—480.
Walker, J. (1998) Student plagiarism in universities: What are we doing about it? Higher Education Research and Development 17(1): 89–106.
Published
2010-12-18
Issue
Section
Research Matters
How to Cite
Bacha, N. N., & Bahous, R. (2010). Student and Teacher Perceptions of Plagiarism in Academic Writing. Writing and Pedagogy, 2(2), 251-280. https://doi.org/10.1558/wap.v2i2.251
