An insight into the Awareness, perception and attitude
of Nigerian Students to plagiarism
Stella-Maris Izegbua Orim
S.Orim@coventry.ac.uk
http://wwwm.coventry.ac.uk/researchnet/elphe/students/Documents/ORIM%20Stella_Profile.pdf
Abstract
This paper is about the pilot to a much larger study of student plagiarism in Nigerian Higher Education
Institution (NHEI) which is an extension to the IPPHEAE (Impact of Plagiarism Policies in Higher
Education across Europe) project. The IPPHEAE is a European wide study of thirty-two Higher
Education Institutions (HEI) focusing on policies and procedures for the mitigation of plagiarism.
The purpose of this pilot study is to test my methodology before undertaking the larger study. It
explores the prior awareness, perceptions and attitude to plagiarism of some Nigerian students
studying in Coventry University, United Kingdom.
In this pilot study, group interview was organised and questionnaires disseminated to some Masters
level study skills students. An analysis of the findings revealed prior levels of plagiarism awareness,
several themes of perceptions and attitude to plagiarism.
This pilot study reveals a need for more training on scholarly academic writing for Nigerian students
who have come to study in the United Kingdom for the first time. This will help them understand the
need to write and cite appropriately and acquire the relevant skills particularly in summarising and
paraphrasing which will help them avoid plagiarism.
Keywords: Nigerian students; Student plagiarism; Awareness; Perceptions; Attitude
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1. Introduction
There is a reasonable assumption and expectation by HEI teachers in the United Kingdom that all
postgraduate students coming to study in the United Kingdom are familiar with the rules of scholarly
academic writing and have developed the requisite skills.
Although this is to be expected at postgraduate level, it may not be the case for most Nigerian students
coming to study in the United Kingdom. This paper will give an insight to some reasons why this may
not be the case by exploring the awareness, perception and attitude of the Nigerian students to
plagiarism.
The findings of the large research will give useful insight to the European institutions where the
students further their education following their initial study in Nigeria.
2. Literature review
Plagiarism is a concept that has existed for a very long time. It is said to be an academic problem that
has come to stay (Paldy 1996) is growing (Park 2003) and appears to be defying several attempts at
mitigating its’ occurrence (Sutherland-Smith 2010) in higher education Institutions.
It is a type of cheating where students present the work of others as their own for the purpose of
academic credit (Park 2003).
Plagiarism is a problem because though students are meant to learn from the work or writings of other
people and add some new ideas of their own, there is a need to differentiate which of the writing
belongs to them.
Fundamentally, the student is expected to learn from the writings of others, develop some new ideas
and then express these by using the writings of others as a building block for his own ideas or writings
(Coulthard 2004). Oftentimes, where learning fails to take place, the student produces the writing of
others without any of their own ideas. Furthermore, where he has added some of his own writing to
those of other people, there is a need to articulate which was his/her own writing.
It is evident, from the review of literature, that much research has been carried out on the subject of
student plagiarism: its occurrences and how to mitigate it in Europe, Australia and America (Wilhoit
1994; Angélil-Carter 2000; Carroll and Appleton 2001; Brandt 2002; Howard 2002; Park 2003; Delvin
An insight into the awareness, perception and attitude of Nigerian Students to plagiarism
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2003; Walker 2008). However, it appears that much research or writing has not been done on student
plagiarism in the context of Nigerian Higher Institutions.
Some Nigerian educationists (Aluede et. al. 2006 and Olasehinde-Williams 2006) have expressed
concern about academic misconduct however their focus have been on examination and its attendant
misconduct such as examination cheating.
Research revealed that there are some fundamental causes of student plagiarism. In the opinion of
Howard (1995: 799) students with English as their second language tend to use ideas and expressions
from sources without paraphrasing due to low language proficiency. In line with Howard, Myers (1998:
10) argues that language deficiency also encourages lack of appropriate citing and referencing of
sources in academic writing.
Despite the fact that these arguments may not necessarily be true for most Nigerian students who travel
overseas to further their education, it is generally true that they actually do not possess all the required
skills in scholarly academic writing.
The reason could be because though some Nigerian students have been exposed to some level of
awareness of appropriate academic writing with technical writing courses in their undergraduate
studies in Nigeria, since close to 70% of their academic work has been assessed via examination they
have not put the acquired skills to use or mastered these skills over time.
Since there was little emphasis in a number of NHEIs on scholarly academic writing or the need for
paraphrasing, citing and referencing throughout their previous study, often a culture of writing has
been developed with too much reliance on the information materials leading inadvertently to
plagiarism.
The question of student plagiarism in NHE Institutions has not been adequately addressed as implied
by the dearth of written articles on this issue. This may be due to several issues ranging from the lack of
awareness, perception and attitude towards plagiarism by students, teachers and administrators in
NHE Institutions.
This has necessitated a contribution to knowledge in the area of Nigerian students’ awareness,
perception and attitude to plagiarism.
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3. Methodology
The tools used for the pilot survey were group Interview questions and questionnaire. The pilot survey
was designed to gather initial data from the participants and feedback on the tools that will be used for
the larger survey to gather qualitative and quantitative data. Attitude to plagiarism questions from
Harris (2001) were utilised along with the questionnaire which was designed by the IPPHEAE team
which I am a member of.
The IPPHEAE questionnaire was used because of the need for a basis of comparison of data collected
from my larger survey with that from the IPPHEAE project.
3.1 Participants
The participants were Nigerian students from the Engineering discipline of Coventry University in the
United Kingdom. There were a total of forty-four Nigerian students on the Masters Study Skill module
which started in January, 2011. Thirty-seven of these Nigerian postgraduate students (male and female)
from four different ‘study skill’ groups participated in the pilot survey.
One of the four groups participated in the group Interview and five of them also participated in the
filling out of the pilot questionnaires. The participants were from different universities (federal, private,
state and public) in Nigeria and had variety of views based on their background and previous
experiences. The group interview had 18 participants at the start and reduced to 13 participants on
completion. This was quite difficult to manage as Wilkinson (2008) recommended between 2 and 12
participants for a focus group interview. Hence this served to inform the number of participants I will
use for the larger focus group interviews.
3.2 Materials
The materials used for the survey were:

The IPPHEAE questionnaire

Attitude to plagiarism questions from Harris (2001)

Focus group questions

Blackberry Mobile phone recorder

Computer system

Notebook and pen
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3.3 Procedure
Following the design of the survey questionnaire along with the IPPHEAE team, ethical approval was
received for my pilot survey after which the pilot commenced.
The aim as recommended by Wilkinson (2008) was basically to find out if the questions were suitable
for collecting the required data for my research by engaging the participants effectively. It was also to
test the logic behind the arrangement of the questions and see if there is a need to rearrange them.
The possible participants were initially sought by asking the permission of the module leader of the
course to have a time with the students after their lecture hours. Following this approval, the four
individual group lecturers were approached and they gave their consent.
The Nigerian students who were willing to participate filled out participant consent forms and took
time to fill out the questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered in a monitored setting in a
lecture hall following the delivery of lecture. They asked questions where they felt the questions were
unclear and a note was made of those questions which they found ambiguous.
Those who participated in the pilot group interview were enthusiastic and made a lot of useful
comments. This session was recorded with a Blackberry Mobile phone recorder. Notes were made of
some key issues at the same time. The group interview session lasted for sixty minutes and took over
three hours for the first transcription to paper. The thematic analysis was then carried out and the
questionnaire analysed.
3.4 Data Analysis
The audio recording of the group interview was listened to severally and general themes drawn out in
the various areas of interest. Following the highlight of the general themes, several ways of reasoning
were drawn according to Hayes (2000) in the process of the analysis.
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4. Results
The following results were derived from the analysed questionnaires:
4.1 Students’ awareness of plagiarism
Figure
1
–
Point
of
Awareness
9
9
8
6
7
6
6
5
3
4
3
2
1
1
1
1
0
Before I started my
undergraduate
During my
undergraduate
Plagiarism
During my masters
degree
Not sure about this
Appropriate citing and referencing
Figure 2 – Source of Awareness
6
6
4
4
2
1
Web site
1
Course booklet, student
guide
Before Masters
1
Leaflet or guidance notes
Workshop / class / lecture
During Masters
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4.2
Students’ perception of plagiarism
Figure 3 – Perception of Plagiarism
For each case below decide whether it is plagiarism if 40% of a student’s submission is from other
sources and is copied word for word into the student’s work:
10
9
7
6
5
4
3
3
2
1
1
With no quotations
1
1
3
3
3
2
1
1
With no quotations, has a With no quotations, but has Some words changed with Some words changed with
correct references but no in correct references and in no quotations, references or no quotations, has correct
text citations
text citations
in text citations
references but no in text
citations
This is serious plagiarism
This case is plagiarism
Not sure about this case
1
Some words changed with
no quotations, but has
correct references and in
text citations
This is definitely not plagiarism
Figure 4 – Previous Institution is less Strict
36%
64%
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Not Sure
Agree
Strongly Agree
Not Applicable
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4.3 Students’ attitude to the concept of plagiarism
Figure 5 – Attitude towards Plagiarism
8
8
Sometimes I feel tempted to plagiarise
because so many other people are doing
it
6
6
5
4
4
3
3
4
6
5
I believe I know accurately what
constitutes plagiarism and what does
not
5
Plagiarism is as bad as stealing the final
exam ahead of time and memorizing the
answers
4
3
3
3
2
1
1
1
Strongly Agree
1
11
Agree
Neutral
1
Disagree
If my roommate gives me permission to
use his or her paper for one of my
classes, I don’t think there is anything
wrong with that
Plagiarism is justified if the professor
assigns too much work in the course
Strongly
Disagree
Figure 6 – Attitude towards Plagiarism cont’d
7
7
7
7
Plagiarism is against my ethical values
Because plagiarism involves taking
another person’s words and not his or
her material goods, plagiarism is not a
big deal
5 5
4
4
3
2
2
3
3
2 2
1
Agree
It’s okay to use something you have
written in the past to fulfil a new
assignment because you cannot
plagiarize yourself
3
2
1
Strongly Agree
3
Neutral
2
1 1
Disagree
Strongly
Disagree
If I lend a paper to another student to
look at, and then, that student turns it
in as his or her own and is caught, I
should not be punished
If a student caught plagiarising receives
a special grade for cheating (such as an
FP – Fail for Plagiarizing) on their
permanent transcript, that policy would
deter many from plagiarising
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5 Discussion
The discussion of the results of the pilot survey starts with an overview of the students’ understanding
of the concept of plagiarism and goes on to analyse their awareness, perception and attitude towards
plagiarism.
5.1 Students’ definition of plagiarism
Thematic analysis of the definition of plagiarism by the students who participated in the focus group
interview revealed themes in line with the feedback from the questionnaire such as: ‘…Using, taking
…other peoples..’ ‘idea, work…..’, ..’..as your own…’ ‘..without acknowledgement…’. Some expressed
feelings of ‘fear’ regarding how to ‘escape’ plagiarism.
Their issue of debate however, was how to appropriately acknowledge these sources: which may relate
to the background of their earlier study.
5.2 Students’ awareness of plagiarism prior to studying in the UK
Nine and six out of the seventeen participants said that they first heard about plagiarism and
appropriate citing and referencing respectively, on arriving in Coventry University in the UK as
depicted in figure 2. This was in harmony with the transcribed audio where about a quarter of the
participants said they first learnt about plagiarism in Coventry University, United Kingdom.
Some of the participants (3 out of 18) affirmed that they had heard in their Nigerian institutions during
their dissertation through their supervisors. It was interesting to note that they claimed ‘..it actually
depends on the previous experience of the lecturers..’ and explained that where the lecturers have
schooled overseas, they tend to be stricter.
One went on to say that some of the lecturers ‘..Emphasize more on the rudiments while some gloss
over it.. .’. From figure 1 and 2, it is evident that most of the participants who found out about plagiarism
during their postgraduate course in Coventry University did so from workshop/class/lecture and web
sites. Three of the respondents in the group interview affirmed it.
Since 9 out of 14 (about 64%) of the participants first heard about plagiarism on arrival at Coventry
University, there is a pointer at the need for proper re-orientation and time to learn paraphrasing skills,
appropriate way of citing and referencing before attempting coursework if unintentional plagiarism is
to be avoided.
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5.3 Students’ perception of plagiarism
When the perception of the participants was tested, the results in figure 3 revealed an unclear
understanding of the concept of plagiarism. This is not surprising as 100% of the students that
responded; of which 64% agree strongly while 34% agree that their Nigerian Institutions were less
strict about plagiarism hence much thought has not been given to it in the past.
From this survey, it is seen that all of the participants have a faint knowledge of what plagiarism is and
also they are not clear with the rule of scholarly academic writing. The results of the focus group also
reveals a situation where the Nigerian students come over to study and do not give much consideration
to the issue of appropriate citing and referencing as their previous school was not strict about
plagiarism.
5.4 Students’ attitude to the concept of plagiarism
A look at figure 5 captures several scenarios of the attitude towards plagiarism of the participating
Nigerian students. 3 out of 15participants disagree that plagiarism is as bad as stealing final exam ahead
of time and memorizing the answers. When asked if they should be punished for colluding: when a
student is caught submitting a paper they give to the student, 11 out of 15 disagreed with 4 disagreeing
strongly. In the same trend, 4 out of 15 of the participants believe that if their roommates give them
permission to use their papers for one of their classes, there is nothing wrong with that. These three
instances of the results are a pointer to the fact that there is a misconception about what the rules of
scholarly academic writing are. Consequently, there is a need to address the issue of Nigerian students’
approach to plagiarism and scholarly academic writing by training them extensively on arrival in the
United Kingdom.
6 Conclusion
Quite a number of the international students studying in the United Kingdom Universities are Nigerians
and most of the students had a vague idea of what plagiarism is at the point of their arrival in the United
Kingdom.
Some of these Nigerian students come into the United Kingdom to study with little knowledge or
experience of studying in Information and Communication Technology enabled environments hence
they struggle with so much information, little ability to handle them, read, summarise and paraphrase.
This suggests the need firstly, for research into the awareness, perception and attitude of Nigerian
students in HEIs to plagiarism with the aim of proposing a mitigation framework which will be
perculiar to the Nigerian environment.
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Secondly, to come up with a robust plagiarism awareness framework in the United Kingdom
Universities primarily for international students who come to the United Kingdom to further their
education. This may require running several workshops on plagiarism for the incoming international
students such as the Nigerian students.
Breen and Maassen (2005) are in agreement with this opinion as they suggested that information on
plagiarism should be disseminated to incoming students as a full course module in the first semester of
their study.
Finally, though the results give an insight to the awareness, perception and attitude of Nigerian
students to plagiarism, I express caution in drawing conclusions due to the type and size of the survey
sample. Hence I do not make general conclusions as I will carry out a larger survey to build on this
research.
7 Acknowledgement
I want to express my gratitude to all that made this paper possible through their valued assistance: Prof.
John Davies, Irene Glendenning, Erik Borg, Ross Graham, Dr. Elizabeth Miles, Alan Richards, Dr. Ammar
Al-Bazi, Dr. Weidong Li and Nigerian Coventry University Study Skills January 2011 start students.
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