Factors Influencing Plagiarism Amongst Undergraduate Students at an Institution of Higher Learning: Kwazulu-Natal

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-006-0_6How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Access; Plagiarism; Teaching; Technology

Abstract

Plagiarism is seen as a form of dishonesty, especially within an Institution of Higher Learning. It is a phenomenon that has been encountered more often inside the classroom over the past few years with easier access to technology. Plagiarism has therefore been classified as a multi-layer phenomenon of dishonesty in Higher Education and continues to be a leading concern within Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL). According to Plagiarism Policy and Procedures for staff and students, the responsibility for developing an understanding of plagiarism lies with the university for students’ academics, as it puts their academic life at risk if caught committing the act of plagiarising. Socialisation, gender, and easy access to electronic information through the internet are contributing factors driving plagiarism. In addition, students do not learn or gain anything from plagiarism; this, therefore, robs them of their ability to be critical thinkers. The research aimed to determine the factors influencing plagiarism amongst undergraduate students at an Institution of Higher Learning. A cross-sectional descriptive survey employing quantitative data collection methods, including questionnaires, was used. The study was conducted at the University of Technology, and the target population was undergraduate students from their first to their final year. The significant findings of this research paper show that accessibility, pride, and teaching factors considerably influence plagiarism. In conclusion, there is a growing need for Intuitions of Higher Learning in South Africa to create comprehensive frameworks for dealing with student plagiarism that are based on prevention and supported by effective detection and sanctioning systems that are transparent and consistently applied.

Copyright

© 2023 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - A. L. Hillermann
PY  - 2023
DA  - 2023/02/07
TI  - Factors Influencing Plagiarism Amongst Undergraduate Students at an Institution of Higher Learning: Kwazulu-Natal
BT  - Proceedings of The Focus Conference (TFC 2022)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 60
EP  - 71
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-006-0_6
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-006-0_6
ID  - Hillermann2023
ER  -