is magazine 8.1 - Autumn/Spring 2005 - International Schools ...

Plagiarism: ethics, detection,
sanctions
In part two of his investigation, Grant Millard considers
some more important aspects
Plagiarism has become a global problem on a vast scale and as
technology becomes more sophisticated and information even
more accessible, schools and universities will need to tackle the
issue on several fronts.
International schools have not been immune to this problem:
in part one (is Vol 7 Issue 3) Root Causes and the need for better
Instructional Design were discussed. Here educating students
about the Ethics of Learning and the difficulties of Detection
and Sanctions will be considered.
The ethics of learning
Addressing plagiarism in schools relates to the ethics of learning.
The proposal is that schools combine a ‘code of honor’ for students,
and a deliberate learning programme so that students are
taught how to acknowledge and cite sources correctly when
undertaking writing and research.
The code of honor should be a series of explicit agreements
which students would be expected to adhere to in relation to ‘academic
honesty’ and integrity as it applies to issues such as plagiarism,
sharing information in tests, cheating, copying homework or
others’ assignments, or taking credit for work not done by the student.
Sanctions for failing to follow the student’s code of honor
would, of course, need to be made clear to students and be consistent
with the school’s overall student behaviour management
procedures. Academic and cultural differences must also be considered
As in many international schools, the International School of
Kuala Lumpur (ISKL) has a very large ESL population with the
level of proficiency in English varying considerably. Students from
non-English speaking backgrounds with relatively limited English
language skills often struggle to meet the demands expected of
them by classroom teachers. Added to this is the pressure students
‘Addressing plagiarism in
schools relates to the ethics
of learning. The proposal
is that schools combine a “code
of honor” for students, and a
deliberate learning programme
so that students are taught how
to acknowledge and cite
sources correctly when undertaking
writing and research.’
is Autumn 2005
Spring
‘On a more practical and
classroom based level, teachers
in all disciplines need to
take on the responsibility of
including in their teaching
programmes specific lessons
on the correct procedures for
students to cite sources and
develop bibliographies to
accurately list their sources.’
receive from home to compete on an even footing with their
English-speaking classmates.
Interestingly, while there is an element of competition driving
these students to become peer competitive with native English
speakers, in some cultures there is also a communal and collaborative
approach to assignments and homework tasks. The cultural
context can make plagiarism difficult to combat.
For example in Confucian influenced Korea, copying is traditionally
seen as a sign of respect to the original artist, poet or
writer (Borden, 2003). Copying a master is not seen in the same
sense as plagiarism and using the ideas or work of another without
acknowledging the original sources is not regarded in the same
light as stealing. Mimicking and copying are respected aspects of
learning in traditional Korean society. These practices have significant
implications on our attitudes towards plagiarism amongst
students from such traditional societies in international schools.
For some universities the notion of an ‘honor system’ has been
in place for a number of years: the University of Virginia’s Honor
System has been in place since 1842, and it mandates that if a student
is caught lying, cheating, or stealing and found guilty, he or
she is expelled permanently (Dean, 2001). Clearly we are not
confronting a new problem but the extent to which students have
the opportunity to access and use material dishonestly has
increased enormously.
At the University of Delaware for example, students are given
a booklet on responsible computing. Celia C Lyon, director of user
services in information in technologies at the college believes that
‘it’s very important that students understand that an electronic
community requires people to behave in a responsible way’
(Mendels, 2000). She is not only referring to appropriate manners,
protocols and procedures but also the responsible use of electronic
information sources.
Others are more pointed in their belief that educational institutions
have a responsibility to ensure students are taught to use
Plagiarism
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