Session Information
09 SES 13 C, Ethical Issues in Assessments
Paper Session
Contribution
Introduction:
Over 90% of the students appointed to the Ethical Conduct Boards in four rural colleges in Israel during the 2002-2007 academic years on charges of academic dishonesty are Israeli minorities while their part in the academic population in those colleges are only 35%. This study examines demographic factors as determinants of academic honesty perceptions among Arab speaking students in rural colleges in the north of Israel.
The aim of this research was to identify and characterize the factors involved in academic dishonesty, in order to re-formulate the college's ethic code.
Research Questions: The main research questions are: 1. What causes the fact that the percentage of native Arabic speakers brought before the ethic committees is higher than the percentage of native Hebrew speakers? 2. What are their justifications for academic dishonesty among Arabic students as they see it?
3. Is there a correlation between a student's academic attitude and his or her attendance at the ethic board?Theoretical background:
It is difficult to define Academic dishonesty as it involves behaviors such as cheating on examinations, plagiarizing, free-riding, and copying assignments (Zauwiyah, Maimun & Junaini, 2008; Blankenship & Whitley, 2000). There are few models or theories that address the issue of academic dishonesty from the perspective of the survival of minority students in college (Bronfenbrenner,1997;Tinto, 1998; Quong, 2006).
Schlegelmilch and Robertson (1995) found a strong relationship between the effects of culture on ethics and have shown that an individual's culture have strong influence on perception of ethical issues while Leask (2006) describe plagiarism as a socially and culturally constructed action - an unconscious reaction to fundamental differences in values concerning the role of individuals in knowledge creation.
All minority students are faced with barriers such as cultural and racial isolation, unfamiliarity with college life, and hostility (Nagasawa & Wong, 1999).
McCabe, Trevino and Butterfield (2001) identified the following findings that can influence cheating: " cheating including pressure to get high grades, parental pressures, a desire to excel, pressure to get a job, laziness, a lack of responsibility, a lack of character, poor self – image, a lack of pride in a job well done, and a lack of personal integrity " (p.228). Other researchers have noted a number of other contributing factors as possibly contributing to academic dishonesty: Financial pressure to succeed (Introna et al., 2003); Cultural norms requiring assisting a friend in need (Burns 1991; Angelil-Carter, 2000; Handa & Power, 2005). The current study, therefore, continues this line of research and examines demographic factors as determinants of cheating perceptions among Arab speaking students in rural colleges in the north of Israel.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
References: Angelil-Carter, S. 2000. Understanding plagiarism differently. In Routes to Writing in Southern Africa, eds. B. Leibowitz, and Y. Mohammed. Silk Road International Publishers, Cape Town, SA. Blankenship, K.L., and B.E. Whitley. 2000. Relation of general deviance to academic dishonesty. Ethics and Behavior 10, no. 1: 1–12 . Bronfenbrenner, U. 1977. Toward an experimental ecology of human development. American Psychologist 32: 513-531. Burns, R.B. 1991. Study and stress among first year overseas students in an Australian university. Higher Education Research and Development 10, no. 1: 61-77. Handa, N. and C. Power. 2005. Land and discover! A case study investigating the cultural context of plagiarism. Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice 2, no. 3: 64-84. Handa, N. 2006. Taking the Mountain to Mohammed: Transitioning International Graduate Students into Higher Education in Australia. International Journal for Educational Integrity 2, no. 2: 126-139 Introna, L., N. Hayes, L. Blair and E. Wood. 2003. Cultural attitudes towards plagiarism: Developing a better understanding of the needs of students from diverse backgrounds relating to issues of plagiarism. Lancaster University, UK. Leask, B. 2006. Plagiarism, cultural diversity and metaphor—implications for academic staff development. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education 31, no. 2: 183–199 Quong, J. (2006). Cultural Exemptions, Expensive Tastes, and Equal Opportunities. Journal of Applied Philosophy 23, no. 1: 53–71. Schlegelmilch, B.B. and D.C. Robertson. 1995. The Influence of Country and Industry on Ethical Perceptions of Senior Executives in the US and Europe. Journal of International Business studies 26, no. 4: 859-881. Zauwiyah, A., S. Maimun and M. Junaini. 2008. Malaysian university students’ attitudes to academic dishonesty and business ethics. Asia Pacific Journal of Education 28, no. 2: 149–160 .
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