Factors associated with student plagiarism in a post‐1992 university

Abstract

A model intended to explain the incidence of plagiarism among undergraduates in the Business Studies department of a post‐1992 university was constructed and tested on a sample of 249 students completing Business Studies units at a post‐1992 university in Greater London. It was hypothesised that the occurrence of plagiarism could be predicted via three attitudinal considerations (individual perceptions of the ethicality of the practice, fear of penalties if caught and fear of failing a degree); two personal traits (goal orientation and academic integration), and three situational factors (financial, current grades achieved, and how strictly lecturing staff enforced anti‐plagiarism rules). Proposals concerning possible inter‐relations and interactions among these variables were also formulated and assessed.

Notes

* Department of Business and Service Sector Management, London Metropolitan University, 84 Moorgate, London EC2M 6SQ, UK. Email: [email protected].

If Y = bX where b = a + cZ, then Y = (a + cZ) X, i.e., Y = aX + c(ZX). Hence a significant regression coefficient on the new variable formed by multiplying Z and X indicates the presence of an interaction effect. As is conventional, the interaction variables were mean centred to reduce possible problems caused by multicollinearity.

A copy of the full questionnaire is available from the author.

PLS Graph 3 calculates the standard errors on parameter estimates using a bootstrapping procedure. Although most of the variables involved five‐point categorical data, it is assumed (in line with most other research using attitudinal data—see Allison, 1999, p.10) that the difference in the strength of agreement between, for example, points one and two on a scale is comparable to the difference between points four and five. This is regarded as a reasonable approximation in the present circumstances. Allison (1999) described the effects of employing ordinal scales in linear regression as ‘innocuous’ in the absence of a priori grounds for believing that non‐linear responses should apply within particular divisions of a scale.