An insight into the awareness, perception and attitude of ... file · Web viewAn insight...

An insight into the Awareness, perception and attitude

of Nigerian Students to plagiarism

Stella-Maris Izegbua [email protected]

http://wwwm.coventry.ac.uk/researchnet/elphe/students/Documents/ORIM%20Stella_Profile.pdf

Abstract

This paper is about the pilot to a much larger study of student plagiarism in Nigerian Higher Education

Institution (NHEI) which is an extension to the IPPHEAE (Impact of Plagiarism Policies in Higher

Education across Europe) project. The IPPHEAE is a European wide study of thirty-two Higher

Education Institutions (HEI) focusing on policies and procedures for the mitigation of plagiarism.

The purpose of this pilot study is to test my methodology before undertaking the larger study. It

explores the prior awareness, perceptions and attitude to plagiarism of some Nigerian students

studying in Coventry University, United Kingdom.

In this pilot study, group interview was organised and questionnaires disseminated to some Masters

level study skills students. An analysis of the findings revealed prior levels of plagiarism awareness,

several themes of perceptions and attitude to plagiarism.

This pilot study reveals a need for more training on scholarly academic writing for Nigerian students

who have come to study in the United Kingdom for the first time. This will help them understand the

need to write and cite appropriately and acquire the relevant skills particularly in summarising and

paraphrasing which will help them avoid plagiarism.

Keywords: Nigerian students; Student plagiarism; Awareness; Perceptions; Attitude

An insight into the awareness, perception and attitude of Nigerian Students to plagiarism

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mailto:[email protected]

1. Introduction

There is a reasonable assumption and expectation by HEI teachers in the United Kingdom that all

postgraduate students coming to study in the United Kingdom are familiar with the rules of scholarly

academic writing and have developed the requisite skills.

Although this is to be expected at postgraduate level, it may not be the case for most Nigerian students

coming to study in the United Kingdom. This paper will give an insight to some reasons why this may

not be the case by exploring the awareness, perception and attitude of the Nigerian students to

plagiarism.

The findings of the large research will give useful insight to the European institutions where the

students further their education following their initial study in Nigeria.

2. Literature review

Plagiarism is a concept that has existed for a very long time. It is said to be an academic problem that

has come to stay (Paldy 1996) is growing (Park 2003) and appears to be defying several attempts at

mitigating its’ occurrence (Sutherland-Smith 2010) in higher education Institutions.

It is a type of cheating where students present the work of others as their own for the purpose of

academic credit (Park 2003).

Plagiarism is a problem because though students are meant to learn from the work or writings of other

people and add some new ideas of their own, there is a need to differentiate which of the writing

belongs to them.

Fundamentally, the student is expected to learn from the writings of others, develop some new ideas

and then express these by using the writings of others as a building block for his own ideas or writings

(Coulthard 2004). Oftentimes, where learning fails to take place, the student produces the writing of

others without any of their own ideas. Furthermore, where he has added some of his own writing to

those of other people, there is a need to articulate which was his/her own writing.

It is evident, from the review of literature, that much research has been carried out on the subject of

student plagiarism: its occurrences and how to mitigate it in Europe, Australia and America (Wilhoit

1994; Angélil-Carter 2000; Carroll and Appleton 2001; Brandt 2002; Howard 2002; Park 2003; Delvin


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2003; Walker 2008). However, it appears that much research or writing has not been done on student

plagiarism in the context of Nigerian Higher Institutions.

Some Nigerian educationists (Aluede et. al. 2006 and Olasehinde-Williams 2006) have expressed

concern about academic misconduct however their focus have been on examination and its attendant

misconduct such as examination cheating.

Research revealed that there are some fundamental causes of student plagiarism. In the opinion of

Howard (1995: 799) students with English as their second language tend to use ideas and expressions

from sources without paraphrasing due to low language proficiency. In line with Howard, Myers (1998:

10) argues that language deficiency also encourages lack of appropriate citing and referencing of

sources in academic writing.

Despite the fact that these arguments may not necessarily be true for most Nigerian students who travel

overseas to further their education, it is generally true that they actually do not possess all the required

skills in scholarly academic writing.

The reason could be because though some Nigerian students have been exposed to some level of

awareness of appropriate academic writing with technical writing courses in their undergraduate

studies in Nigeria, since close to 70% of their academic work has been assessed via examination they

have not put the acquired skills to use or mastered these skills over time.

Since there was little emphasis in a number of NHEIs on scholarly academic writing or the need for

paraphrasing, citing and referencing throughout their previous study, often a culture of writing has

been developed with too much reliance on the information materials leading inadvertently to

plagiarism.

The question of student plagiarism in NHE Institutions has not been adequately addressed as implied

by the dearth of written articles on this issue. This may be due to several issues ranging from the lack of

awareness, perception and attitude towards plagiarism by students, teachers and administrators in

NHE Institutions.

This has necessitated a contribution to knowledge in the area of Nigerian students’ awareness,

perception and attitude to plagiarism.


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3. Methodology

The tools used for the pilot survey were group Interview questions and questionnaire. The pilot survey

was designed to gather initial data from the participants and feedback on the tools that will be used for

the larger survey to gather qualitative and quantitative data. Attitude to plagiarism questions from

Harris (2001) were utilised along with the questionnaire which was designed by the IPPHEAE team

which I am a member of.

The IPPHEAE questionnaire was used because of the need for a basis of comparison of data collected

from my larger survey with that from the IPPHEAE project.

3.1 Participants

The participants were Nigerian students from the Engineering discipline of Coventry University in the

United Kingdom. There were a total of forty-four Nigerian students on the Masters Study Skill module

which started in January, 2011. Thirty-seven of these Nigerian postgraduate students (male and female)

from four different ‘study skill’ groups participated in the pilot survey.

One of the four groups participated in the group Interview and five of them also participated in the

filling out of the pilot questionnaires. The participants were from different universities (federal, private,

state and public) in Nigeria and had variety of views based on their background and previous

experiences. The group interview had 18 participants at the start and reduced to 13 participants on

completion. This was quite difficult to manage as Wilkinson (2008) recommended between 2 and 12

participants for a focus group interview. Hence this served to inform the number of participants I will

use for the larger focus group interviews.

3.2 Materials

The materials used for the survey were:

The IPPHEAE questionnaire

Attitude to plagiarism questions from Harris (2001)

Focus group questions

Blackberry Mobile phone recorder

Computer system

Notebook and pen


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3.3 Procedure

Following the design of the survey questionnaire along with the IPPHEAE team, ethical approval was

received for my pilot survey after which the pilot commenced.

The aim as recommended by Wilkinson (2008) was basically to find out if the questions were suitable

for collecting the required data for my research by engaging the participants effectively. It was also to

test the logic behind the arrangement of the questions and see if there is a need to rearrange them.

The possible participants were initially sought by asking the permission of the module leader of the

course to have a time with the students after their lecture hours. Following this approval, the four

individual group lecturers were approached and they gave their consent.

The Nigerian students who were willing to participate filled out participant consent forms and took

time to fill out the questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered in a monitored setting in a

lecture hall following the delivery of lecture. They asked questions where they felt the questions were

unclear and a note was made of those questions which they found ambiguous.

Those who participated in the pilot group interview were enthusiastic and made a lot of useful

comments. This session was recorded with a Blackberry Mobile phone recorder. Notes were made of

some key issues at the same time. The group interview session lasted for sixty minutes and took over

three hours for the first transcription to paper. The thematic analysis was then carried out and the

questionnaire analysed.

3.4 Data Analysis

The audio recording of the group interview was listened to severally and general themes drawn out in

the various areas of interest. Following the highlight of the general themes, several ways of reasoning

were drawn according to Hayes (2000) in the process of the analysis.


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4. Results

The following results were derived from the analysed questionnaires:

4.1 Students’ awareness of plagiarism

Figure 1 – Point of Awareness

Before

I start

ed m

y underg

raduate

During m

y underg

raduate

During m

y mast

ers deg

ree

Not sure

about th

is0

2

4

6

8

1

3

9

11

6 6

Plagiarism Appropriate citing and referencing

Figure 2 – Source of Awareness

Web site Course booklet, student guide Leaflet or guidance notes Workshop / class / lecture

1 1 1

4

6

4

2

6

Before Masters During Masters


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4.2 Students’ perception of plagiarism

Figure 3 – Perception of Plagiarism

For each case below decide whether it is plagiarism if 40% of a student’s submission is from other

sources and is copied word for word into the student’s work:

9

1

2

1

7

4

2

3

11 1

5

3

11

3

6

3 3

10

This is serious plagiarism This case is plagiarism Not sure about this case This is definitely not plagiarism

Figure 4 – Previous Institution is less Strict

36%

64%

Strongly Disagree Disagree Not Sure Agree Strongly Agree Not Applicable


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4.3 Students’ attitude to the concept of plagiarism

Figure 5 – Attitude towards Plagiarism

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

1 1

3

1

8

3

6

4

1 1

4

8

3

1

3

5

6

1

3

6

5

4 4

5

2

Sometimes I feel tempted to plagiarise because so many other people are doing it

I believe I know accurately what consti-tutes plagiarism and what does not

Plagiarism is as bad as stealing the final exam ahead of time and memorizing the answers

If my roommate gives me permission to use his or her paper for one of my classes, I don’t think there is anything wrong with that

Plagiarism is justified if the professor assigns too much work in the course

The punishment for plagiarism in school should be light because we are young people who are just learning the ropes

Figure 6 – Attitude towards Plagiarism cont’d

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

7

2

3 3

2

3

5

7

1

4

3

5

2

4

7

1

2

1

2

3

7

2

1

Plagiarism is against my ethical values

Because plagiarism involves taking an-other person’s words and not his or her material goods, plagiarism is not a big deal

It’s okay to use something you have writ -ten in the past to fulfil a new assignment because you cannot plagiarize yourself

If I lend a paper to another student to look at, and then, that student turns it in as his or her own and is caught, I should not be punished

If a student caught plagiarising receives a special grade for cheating (such as an FP – Fail for Plagiarizing) on their permanent transcript, that policy would deter many from plagiarising


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5 Discussion

The discussion of the results of the pilot survey starts with an overview of the students’ understanding

of the concept of plagiarism and goes on to analyse their awareness, perception and attitude towards

plagiarism.

5.1 Students’ definition of plagiarism

Thematic analysis of the definition of plagiarism by the students who participated in the focus group

interview revealed themes in line with the feedback from the questionnaire such as: ‘…Using, taking …

other peoples..’ ‘idea, work…..’, ..’..as your own…’ ‘..without acknowledgement…’. Some expressed

feelings of ‘fear’ regarding how to ‘escape’ plagiarism.

Their issue of debate however, was how to appropriately acknowledge these sources: which may relate

to the background of their earlier study.

5.2 Students’ awareness of plagiarism prior to studying in the UK

Nine and six out of the seventeen participants said that they first heard about plagiarism and

appropriate citing and referencing respectively, on arriving in Coventry University in the UK as depicted

in figure 2. This was in harmony with the transcribed audio where about a quarter of the participants

said they first learnt about plagiarism in Coventry University, United Kingdom.

Some of the participants (3 out of 18) affirmed that they had heard in their Nigerian institutions during

their dissertation through their supervisors. It was interesting to note that they claimed ‘..it actually

depends on the previous experience of the lecturers..’ and explained that where the lecturers have

schooled overseas, they tend to be stricter.

One went on to say that some of the lecturers ‘..Emphasize more on the rudiments while some gloss

over it.. .’. From figure 1 and 2, it is evident that most of the participants who found out about plagiarism

during their postgraduate course in Coventry University did so from workshop/class/lecture and web

sites. Three of the respondents in the group interview affirmed it.

Since 9 out of 14 (about 64%) of the participants first heard about plagiarism on arrival at Coventry

University, there is a pointer at the need for proper re-orientation and time to learn paraphrasing skills,

appropriate way of citing and referencing before attempting coursework if unintentional plagiarism is

to be avoided.


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5.3 Students’ perception of plagiarism

When the perception of the participants was tested, the results in figure 3 revealed an unclear

understanding of the concept of plagiarism. This is not surprising as 100% of the students that

responded; of which 64% agree strongly while 34% agree that their Nigerian Institutions were less

strict about plagiarism hence much thought has not been given to it in the past.

From this survey, it is seen that all of the participants have a faint knowledge of what plagiarism is and

also they are not clear with the rule of scholarly academic writing. The results of the focus group also

reveals a situation where the Nigerian students come over to study and do not give much consideration

to the issue of appropriate citing and referencing as their previous school was not strict about

plagiarism.

5.4 Students’ attitude to the concept of plagiarism

A look at figure 5 captures several scenarios of the attitude towards plagiarism of the participating

Nigerian students. 3 out of 15participants disagree that plagiarism is as bad as stealing final exam ahead

of time and memorizing the answers. When asked if they should be punished for colluding: when a

student is caught submitting a paper they give to the student, 11 out of 15 disagreed with 4 disagreeing

strongly. In the same trend, 4 out of 15 of the participants believe that if their roommates give them

permission to use their papers for one of their classes, there is nothing wrong with that. These three

instances of the results are a pointer to the fact that there is a misconception about what the rules of

scholarly academic writing are. Consequently, there is a need to address the issue of Nigerian students’

approach to plagiarism and scholarly academic writing by training them extensively on arrival in the

United Kingdom.

6 Conclusion

Quite a number of the international students studying in the United Kingdom Universities are Nigerians

and most of the students had a vague idea of what plagiarism is at the point of their arrival in the United

Kingdom.

Some of these Nigerian students come into the United Kingdom to study with little knowledge or

experience of studying in Information and Communication Technology enabled environments hence

they struggle with so much information, little ability to handle them, read, summarise and paraphrase.

This suggests the need firstly, for research into the awareness, perception and attitude of Nigerian

students in HEIs to plagiarism with the aim of proposing a mitigation framework which will be

perculiar to the Nigerian environment.


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Secondly, to come up with a robust plagiarism awareness framework in the United Kingdom

Universities primarily for international students who come to the United Kingdom to further their

education. This may require running several workshops on plagiarism for the incoming international

students such as the Nigerian students.

Breen and Maassen (2005) are in agreement with this opinion as they suggested that information on

plagiarism should be disseminated to incoming students as a full course module in the first semester of

their study.

Finally, though the results give an insight to the awareness, perception and attitude of Nigerian

students to plagiarism, I express caution in drawing conclusions due to the type and size of the survey

sample. Hence I do not make general conclusions as I will carry out a larger survey to build on this

research.

7 Acknowledgement

I want to express my gratitude to all that made this paper possible through their valued assistance: Prof.

John Davies, Irene Glendenning, Erik Borg, Ross Graham, Dr. Elizabeth Miles, Alan Richards, Dr. Ammar

Al-Bazi, Dr. Weidong Li and Nigerian Coventry University Study Skills January 2011 start students.


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