Why Do Students Plagiarize? The Case of Multicultural Students in an Australian University in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

The increase in plagiarism cases among university students is a great concern for educators and policy makers within the federal and private universities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Research suggests that students’ attitudes toward academic integrity are characteristically more tolerant than the policies already in place in most universities. This assertion can hypothetically intensify the situation that most universities in the UAE are experiencing. Moreover, the presence of a very diverse student body leaves space for validation of the hypothesis, that concepts of plagiarism or academic integrity are seen differently in different cultures; nevertheless, very little research has been carried out to empirically validate such hypothesis. Moreover, current research in this area has usually been conducted in western universities, in western countries and has been focused in a comparison between international and domestic students or native and non-native speakers of English language. As yet, no studies have directly analysed culturally diverse students’ attitudes toward plagiarism in their first year of study in a western university in the UAE. This study aimed to measure the students’ level of understanding to what plagiarism is. One survey and one quiz were given to 67 students, the data from the surveys was tested against several hypothesis and some descriptive analysis was conducted. The results reveal that students understand the main concepts beyond plagiarism but confuse its application.