Ethics Across Cultures ACADEMICS

‘Cheating’ or ‘Sharing’?

Academic Ethics Across Cultures
Presenter
Opal Leeman Bartzis
Institute for Study Abroad
Butler University

In cooperation with and with resources compiled by
Anne Hayner
Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies
University of Notre Dame

AACRAO Conference, Orlando, FL, March 2008

Center for Academic Integrity

Clemson University Rutland Institute for Ethics

“Academic integrity is a fundamental value of teaching, learning and scholarship. Yet, there is growing evidence that students cheat and plagiarize.” Research from the
Center for Academic Integrity

Clemson University Rutland Institute for Ethics
• On most US college campuses, over 75% of students admit to some cheating.
• Internet plagiarism: 10% in 1999, 41% in 2001.
• Majority of students (68%): “not a serious issue.”
• Cheating: from 11% in 1963 to 49% in 1993
(self-reported -- state universities)
• US high schools: 74% - serious test cheating
• 72% - serious cheating on written assignments
• Over half - some level of plagiarism on written assignments using the Internet.
*

Common Examples of Academic Dishonesty
• Copying answers from another
• Unapproved collaboration
• Using notes or assistance of some sort during exams
• Submitting one’s own work for multiple assignments
• Claiming another’s work as one’s own Plagiarism as a Cultural Construct
Oxford English Dictionary definition of plagiarism: “to take and use another person’s ideas as one’s own.”
Question: Is plagiarism always synonymous with cheating?
Cultural Values, Plagiarism, and Fairness: When Plagiarism Gets in the Way of Learning, written by Hayes J N and Introna L, Ethics & Behavior, 2005, Vol. 15, No. 3: pages 213-231

‘Plagiarism’ & ‘Cheating’ in
Cross-Cultural Perspective
Russia &
Eastern
Europe

• Sharing notes, talking in class OK – not hidden
• Goal is to bring the whole class level up
• Bribes routinely expected for grades

Germany

• Sharing of answers common, but understood as student vs. teacher; not sharing is social taboo

Mexico

• Sharing is common, but students will deny
• Professors do not expect citations in paper

Costa Rica

• Teamwork the rule in personal and academic life, including supporting those who do not contribute to the group

‘Plagiarism’ & ‘Cheating’ in
Cross-Cultural Perspective
China

Burma

• Students openly admit cheating is a way of life
• ‘Intellectual property’ a foreign concept
• Value: saving face, maintaining group harmony
• Cheating seen as a skill everyone should develop to succeed in the world; the world is corrupt
• Student learning seen as a task shared by group
• Worst accusation in culture is selfishness: pursuing own goals at expense of others

India &
Bangladesh

• Student riots when test cheating prevented
• Exams should not be memory tests

Greece

•Focus on learning concepts, rather than words
•Connecting quotes demonstrates understanding

‘Plagiarism’ & ‘Cheating’ in
Cross-Cultural Perspective
Non-Western countries:
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Focus on textbook learning
Rote learning
Using another author’s words is a form of respect
Loved poetry and revered scholarly arguments are learned by heart
• Students have difficulty stating own opinion
• Students have difficulty criticizing others’ words

Inherent Problems in U.S.
• Academic dishonesty is defined differently across campuses, disciplines and departments • Students are educated about academic dishonesty in different ways
• Academic honesty violations vary and are inconsistent • All of this is intensified for the visiting student How is the problem approached now?
• Honor codes
• Syllabus statements
• Basic message:
“Plagiarism and cheating are not allowed and consequences are serious.”

• Detection
• Penalization

Detection Programs
• Proving plagiarism can be burdensome on faculty • Results are mixed and do not indicate unintentional plagiarism
• Devices derive from Western mindset*
- emphasis on “catching” rather supporting new members of the community - Non-natives become disproportionately identified and scrutinized
* Niall Hayes and Lucas Introna, Lancaster University Management School

Language Acquisition Issues
• “Patch writing” as a transition to language independence
• Students are taught to mimic academics to improve writing skills
• Feeling that student cannot improve upon what has already been written

Group
Work

A Model for Cross-Cultural Training
1. Acknowledge that plagiarism and cheating are not universal concepts
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share experiences provide examples of expectations academic ethics as cultural construct

A Model for Cross-Cultural Training
2.

Identify sources of difficulty
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“common knowledge” collaborative work vs. cheating group vs. individualist focus of society teacher-centered vs. learner-centered collaboration vs. competition model reporting on others: honor or betrayal? research & citation conventions recognizing own writing style student–teacher access pressures on international students ownership of intellectual property differing classroom cultures technology dependence of US students

A Model for Cross-Cultural Training
3. Acknowledge contradictions of US academic expectations
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Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) handout:
“Avoiding Plagiarism” role of syllabus, US & abroad how to seek help with clarification of expectations, or with citation

A Model for Cross-Cultural Training
4. Provide specific training on citation
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standards of different disciplines ungraded practice papers paraphrasing instruction and practice collaborate with campus writing center? differing writing and style guides in use alert US students to possible differences in expectations abroad utilization of tutors

A Model for Cross-Cultural Training
5. Encourage students to learn expectations of host culture
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Be prepared
If expectations clash with home culture norms, look for the value in them
Make decisions about any values that cannot be accepted
Know resources for resolution

U.S. Students Abroad
• Concerns are similar
• See “Tips for U.S. Study Abroad
Students: Preparing for Academic
Ethics Across Cultures” sheet

Resources on Academic Integrity
• University of Sydney, Faculty of Economics and Business: www.econ.usyd.edu.au/
• Extensive web resources
• University sites: guidelines for students, honor codes, suggestions for faculty
• Interactive on-line quizzes
• TESL-EJ articles http://tesl-ej.org/about.html
• NAFSA: US Classroom Culture booklet
• Institute for Study Abroad, Butler University: Academic
Differences section www.ifsa-butler.org
• Center for Academic Integrity, Clemson
University Rutland Institute for Ethics
#

Questions for Further Consideration
• Have we educated ourselves about the current state of academic misconduct in our program locations? • Who has the power to handle cases of academic misconduct in the host country and are we prepared to accept their decisions?
• Should our students be held to the standards of the host country, whether they be more stringent or more lenient?

Contact Us
Opal Leeman Bartzis
Institute for Study Abroad
Butler University, Indiana

oleeman@butler.edu
Anne Hayner
Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies
University of Notre Dame, Indiana

ahayner@nd.edu

Thank you