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A cultural bridge for academic integrity? Mainland Chinese master’s graduates of UK institutions returning to China
No full textCultural and developmental perspectives (Flowerdew & Li, 2007) of plagiarism were explored through interviews with Chinese graduates of UK master's degrees after they have returned to work in transnational higher education in China. This allowed reflection on experiences of plagiarism in the context of the participants' educational history, life in the UK and their return to China. These accounts provided narratives of their development of academic integrity and a cultural comparison of the British and Chinese understandings of plagiarism. Interpretive repertoires (Gilbert & Mulkay, 1984) identified the significant commonalities and inconsistencies within and between the participants' accounts. The findings suggest that the participants use UK institutional vocabulary and have developed a more strict approach to plagiarism and academic integrity during their master's course and in their subsequent educational career. Analysis indicates that rather than being equivalents, plagiarism and the corresponding Chinese terms are dependent on the particular assessment backgrounds in the UK and China. Having moved between and adapting to these educational contexts, the potential for these returning Chinese graduates to act as a cultural bridge for academic integrity within internationalised higher education is discussed
Pedagogies that engage five to eight year old children's imagination and creativity at school
No full textChildren’s imagination and creativity are widely recognised as important to learning in the early years (Bruner, 1986; Egan, 2005; Vygotsky 1967/2004). What is not clear is how Australian teachers nurture this aspect of thinking and learning when children enter formal schooling. The aim of this study was to investigate the pedagogies employed by teachers reputed to be exemplary practitioners to foster 5-8 year old children’s imagination and creativity. This study used descriptive case study to explore the thinking, actions and insights of three teachers in different settings. Data were collected using non-participant observation and video recording of classroom interactions; and a video-stimulated review interview process. Analysis revealed four common pedagogies that fostered imagination and creativity across the curriculum. They were: supporting children to direct their own learning through play; listening to children; provoking children’s thinking and emotions; and tolerance of ambiguity and mistakes. The findings demonstrated that teachers in the early years of school can successfully use pedagogies that engage children’s imagination and creativity, within the perceived constraints of curriculum, timetabling and space. Future research into this topic could investigate children’s responses to these pedagogies
Promoting academic integrity in legal education: 'Unanswered questions' on disclosure
No full textLaw students are a special case in academic integrity. If a law student breaches academic integrity policy, such as by plagiarism or collusion during their legal education, it may have long-term consequences for their reputation and their future in the legal profession. Graduating law students applying for admission to practise as a lawyer are advised to disclose mere investigations, whether or not they were found to have breached the rules, as failure to disclose may lead to their admission being refused or delayed. This paper analyses the views of 28 academic integrity stakeholders across six Australian universities, interviewed by the Academic Integrity Standards Project, with a specific focus on the 12 interviewees that were associated with legal education in their own institution. While the broader understanding of academic integrity among participants associated with legal education was similar to that of the overall participants interviewed in the study, legal academics raised the issue of disclosure requirements for a breach of academic integrity policy by students, given the significant professional consequences for a law student. Based on our findings, we propose a need for clarity and uniformity in the rules of disclosure as part of the emerging national legal profession. We also propose an approach that promotes academic integrity as an emergent professional integrity among law students, rather than focusing resources on identification and punishing students who breach academic integrity policy
The wellbeing of refugee children in an early childhood education context: connections and dilemmas
No full textThe provision of a context that supports the wellbeing of refugee children in Australian schools is important to their resettlement. The early childhood years are the optimum time for intervention programs for refugee children and thus outcomes for these children (Modica, Ajmera & Dunning, 2010), yet there is a paucity of research respecting this age group. Furthermore there is a need for research on contexts that are supportive of refugee children (Cameron, Frydenberg & Jackson, 2011). This case study focused on eight refugee children enrolled in one school’s new arrivals program, their parents and relevant school staff. The research aimed to 1) identify the practical and emotional connections offered that were perceived by parents and staff to be supportive of 5-8 year old refugee children’s wellbeing, and 2) identify dilemmas in fostering connections. To determine the school’s level of supportiveness, children were observed and assessed using the South Australian Department of Education and Child Development’s, Reflect, Respect, Relate, Wellbeing Scale. The school was found to be supporting these children’s wellbeing at a mid to high level. Parents and staff identified beneficial connections such as the bus system and bilingual School Service Officers. Dilemmas included creating emotional connections, particularly those related to cultural values. Recommendations include ways to strengthen children’s wellbeing through improved community integration
Preparing Teachers to 'Teach' Philosophy for Children
No full textLike many others, I have resisted the idea that education, in general, is a form of training. We always talk about training for something, while an educated person is not educated for any one thing. But for this very reason, I do not wish to abandon the term ‘teacher training’ in favor of ‘teacher education’, although ideally I would prefer to speak of ‘teacher preparation’ (or even ‘teacher formation’) because the term ‘training’ always reminds me of monkeys. I shall use the terms ‘training’ and ‘preparation’ interchangeably, with both standing in contrast to ‘education’. All persons deserve to be educated; there is nothing specific to teachers here. Teacher training, whether general or specific to a subject or discipline, remains a contentious business. Some regard Pedagogy as a legitimate subject area (I used to teach a subject entitled The Art and Science of Effective Teaching) and structure training around it; others prefer to see teacher training firmly in the context of the various disciplines that teachers will, in turn, be teaching: mathematics, literature, history and, in this case, philosophy. Indeed, when it comes to training teachers to teach philosophy, the problem is exacerbated by the plain fact that most teachers have no formal background in philosophy. So we are faced with the rather daunting prospect of providing such a background (teaching philosophy) as well as providing whatever is needed in order to teach philosophy to others (e.g. children). Matthew Lipman and Ann Margaret Sharp were well aware of this challenge when they set up the first training programs in Philosophy for Children (p4c) at Montclair State College (as it was then) in the early 1970s; hence the requirement that if classroom teachers were not actually qualified in philosophy (however that is interpreted!), at least those who trained them to do philosophy with children should be. However, this idealistic model was always going to be difficult to apply. The problem, as it developed in countries around the world, was two-fold: teachers with little or no philosophical background were, increasingly, being trained by other educators who were in the same boat (hence the fear that however good the pedagogy, there would be little or no philosophy actually being done in classrooms); and conversely, when professional philosophers did become involved in teacher training, it quickly became apparent that they (often) lacked any real training in pedagogy, and so were inadequate to the task of modeling the role of the teacher in the (pre-tertiary) classroom. To look on the bright side, some constructive attempts have been made to resolve these shortcomings. The one with which I am most familiar (being one of those who instituted it) is the Australian model for what is termed ‘Level Two training’, that is, training those who will, in turn, train and work with classroom teachers. This model recognizes the complementary requirements of philosophical and pedagogic expertise, respectively, by awarding certificates of achievement based on whether those trained have come from the discipline of philosophy, the practice of teaching (children), or both. Ideally, then, training workshops for teachers would be directed by at least one person in the former category, and at least one in the latter
Culture of minimal influence: A study of Japanese university students’ attitudes toward plagiarism
Get PDFThe influence culture may have on East Asian students’ attitudes toward plagiarism has been a topic of much discussion in recent years, with many scholars believing that students from this region do not view plagiarism negatively. They argue that the students have little concept of individual word ownership and consequently feel copying the works of others should not be considered a transgression. Others, however, are wary of this culture argument, and suggest that it is seemingly premised on instances in which East Asian students have plagiarised on their English writing assignments. They submit that rather than culture, the underlying cause of student plagiarism more likely stems from a fear of academic failure due to struggles with a foreign language.
Japanese students are often included among those who supposedly do not view plagiarism as morally wrong. In the present study, this theory is explored through examining data from a survey designed to gauge attitudes toward plagiarism and citation administered in 2011 to students at eight Japanese universities. Results indicate that Japanese students almost overwhelmingly view plagiarism as wrong and believe in the importance of providing citations to works they have used, although students from medical backgrounds may possibly be less concerned about the importance of citation than those from other fields. Moreover, contrary to beliefs held by both those who agree and disagree with the culture argument, results show that Japanese students seemingly receive more formal instruction regarding citation techniques than what has been commonly believed
Do students think what teachers think about plagiarism?
No full textPreventing students' plagiarism is an important issue at Higher Education Institutions (HEI) since teachers are the ones who are primarily involved in plagiarism prevention. They have to explain to students what plagiarism is and to teach them how to avoid plagiarism. A survey conducted under the research project on the Impact of Policies for Plagiarism in Higher Education Across Europe (IPPHEAE) has collected thousands of questionnaires from both students and teachers of several HEIs at various EU countries. The project addressed several research questions relating to plagiarism. This paper compares and contrasts the overall data collected on students’ and teachers' attitude towards academic writing and their perception of plagiarism and plagiarism penalties as well as their knowledge of institutional policy/procedures on plagiarism. On the basis of the results obtained it would appear that changes in teachers’ attitude and a better understanding of students' educational needs and perception of plagiarism may provide the means to enable HEIs to help students to avoid plagiarism in a more effective way
Editorial, Volume 10(2)
No full textWelcome to the last issue of the International Journal for Educational Integrity for 2014, and the last time the journal will be independently published using the Open Journal System. I am pleased to report that from 1 January 2015, the IJEI will be officially published by Springer. While the journal will remain Open Access, this is a very important step forward for the IJEI, which was established in 2005. In addition to providing very much needed administrative and editorial support, Springer will also provide many advantages, including: 1. Increased journal ranking and status; 2. Longterm sustainability; 3. Increased marketing; and 4. An anticipated improvement in the quality of submissions. I will continue as Executive Editor and hope to entice new members to the Editorial Board from a range of institutions and disciplines.
This issue, like so many during the last decade, is an eclectic mix of papers from a variety of countries and disciplinary perspectives, and provides unique viewpoints on the meaning and implementation of educational/academic integrity.
Opening the issue, Colin James (University of Newcastle, Australia) and Saadia Mahmud (formerly of University of South Australia) demonstrate that law students are a 'special case' in academic integrity education. Reporting on data from interviews with 12 legal academics who participated in the Australian Academic Integrity Standards Project, James and Mahmud maintain that there are significant and longterm consequences of academic integrity investigations for law students. The authors propose increased clarity and uniformity in the rules of disclosure for graduating law students, as well as an approach which situates academic integrity education as "emergent professional integrity".
Minka Rissanen and Erika Lofstrom, both from the University of Helsinki, Finland, extend their thinking from a paper delivered at the 3rd World Research Integrity Conference (2013), which explored the ability of students to identify ethical issues in research and the role that the learning environment played in the process. Based on relatively small sample of 87, largely comprised of female students, the authors found no statistically significant relationships between ethical sensitivity, empathy, and the experience of ethical aspects in the learning climate, no difference between psychology and educational science students in terms of their ethical competencies, and no relationship between age and ethical sensitivity. Given the limitations of their own sample, Rissanen and Lofstrom call for more research which investigates the role of learning environments to support and develop students' research ethics.
Moving from disciplinary and pedagogic issues to the broader institutional context, Michael Bath, Peter Hovde and former students of Concordia College in Minnesota, USA, hypothesised that the influences unique to a small, church-affiliated liberal arts college would have a discernible impact on cheating attitudes and practices. Their analysis of data from two student surveys in 2008 and 2010 demonstrates that in fact, the "small college culture" of Concordia College was only partially effective in discouraging academic dishonesty, and that the impact of the religion requirement was insignificant. The authors conclude that in light of the finding that cheating behaviours and attitudes at Concordia College are generally similar to larger, more "impersonal" institutions, the College should consider adopting a formal Honor Code, in line with recommendations by Don McCabe and colleagues.
Greg Wheeler, from Sapporo Medical University, Japan, takes the debate a step further and examines the broader culture and its impact on students' attitudes to plagiarism. Using data from a survey administered to students at eight Japanese universities (n=483), Wheeler challenges the perceived wisdom that students from South East Asian countries are unaware that copying without appropriate attribution is a breach of academic integrity. He concludes that "Japanese students almost overwhelmingly view plagiarism as wrong and believe in the importance of providing citations to works they have used", with the exception of Medical students who appeared to place less emphasis on the importance of citation than students in other disciplines, including Health Sciences. Furthermore, and in sharp contrast with previous research, Wheeler found that the majority of Japanese students are, in fact, provided with instruction on citation techniques. Wheeler's article makes an important contribution to ongoing discussions about the role of culture in students' understandings of academic conventions, and has the potential to have a direct impact on teaching and learning practises, as well as universities' responses to student plagiarism.
The final paper in this issue by Amanda Sladek from the University of Kansas, USA, offers a novel perspective on the meaning of educational integrity. The author interrogates how narratives of for-profit education contribute to public perceptions of institutional integrity, while exploring the complex role that audience plays in the consumption and production of these narratives. Sladek's analysis draws on the case of Dana College, a small non-profit liberal arts college that suspended operations in 2010 after an unsuccessful attempt to transfer ownership to a for-profit entity. Using recent theories in Rhetoric and Composition, Sladek invites the reader "to use the contested and contentious nature of for-profit education as a way to renegotiate what global education will look like in the years to come".
On that challenging note, I will end by wishing you all the best for a stimulating read of this last issue to be published by the Open Journal System. I look forward to continuing to contribute to this fascinating field of inquiry in 2015 as Executive Editor of the International Journal for Educational Integrity, published by Springer.
Tracey Bretag, Editor
November 201
Accuracy of referencing and patterns of plagiarism in electronically published theses
No full textResearch on accuracy of referencing has shown deficiencies in both students' and researchers' efforts to cite accurately. Students' attitudes and understanding about what constitutes plagiarism has been researched extensively, but there is much less evidence about actual patterns of plagiarism. This study aimed to analyse both accuracy of referencing and plagiarism in electronically published theses. The data consisted of a sample of theses published in Theseus database, which is an electronic publication forum for universities of applied sciences in Finland. Altogether 91 theses in the areas of health and business studies formed the purposive sample for this study. Thesis texts were analysed by comparing the in-text citations to references, and in case of frequent inaccuracy a Google search was used to scrutinise possible plagiarism. The accuracy of referencing was classified in four categories: accurate, some inaccuracy, constant inaccuracy, and misleading referencing/plagiarism. Examples of inaccurate referencing, misleading referencing and plagiarism are presented in the article
Coping With Global Change: The Need for New Values
No full textThe following text was presented to the 1995 conference of the International Council of Philosophical Inquiry with Children, and is reprinted here unrevised. Unfortunately the challenges of coping with global change that it discusses have still not been addressed. Some of the facts have changed—for example, China’s per capita greenhouse gas emissions have risen significantly, although they are still far below those of the United States and most other industrialized countries. But the planet is warming faster than scientists predicted twenty years ago, and little has been done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, so the problem of climate change is even more urgent than it seemed to be when the text was first presented. Therefore my arguments about the changes we need to make to the way we live are still relevant, and it is for that reason that I have accepted the editors’ invitation to reprint the article