Thesis

Preventing Plagiarism 1

Running head: TEACHING METHODS REDUCE PLAGIARISM

Prevent Plagiarism Through the Implementation of Inquiry-Based Curriculum

MAT 640

Submitted to Professor Jacqueline Campbell

By

Stephanie Greer

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the

Master of Education in Cross Cultural Teaching

National University

Inglewood, CA

May 31,2003

ABSTRACT


This report investigates the correlation between inquiry-based teaching methods and the

prevention of plagiarism in the K-12 classroom. After comparing recent articles regarding

plagiarism prevention strategies, it became increasingly evident that specific strategies

must be implemented in the classroom in order to discourage plagiarism. These strategies

can be organized under the following headings: 1) Students should understand the rules

of ethical writing; 2) Assignments should be manageable; 3) Ethical writing should lead

to personally important benefits; 4) Plagiarism should be difficult; and 5) Plagiarism

should lead to personally important costs (Malouff, 1996). After examining strategies, it

can be deduced that inquiry-based methods of teaching curriculum are most conducive to

the implementation of suggested plagiarism prevention strategies.

CHAPTER 1

Introduction


Plagiarism is a growing concern for teachers at all levels of education. Why do

students plagiarize? The problem begins in elementary schools. When primary grade

teachers do not directly address the issue of plagiarism in their classrooms, students do

not learn that it is an unethical practice (Petress, 2003). Many students commit plagiarism

unknowingly. They move through the educational system without being taught how not

to plagiarize and without associating plagiarism with dishonesty.

The solution to this problem lies in the teaching practices of teachers. Teachers

must implement curriculum that will improve the information literacy of elementary

school children. This is achieved when teachers educate themselves about effective

classroom strategies for implementing problem-based curriculum, and when teachers

adapt specific models for teaching research methods to their students. Multiple sources

suggest that by using authentic, inquiry-based curriculum, as well as teaching specific

approaches to research methods, teachers empower students with the skills they need to

successfully make inquiries, follow a line of investigation, and create products that are

not plagiarized (Hinchliffe, 1998, Starr, 2003).

Background of the Study

Plagiarism has become normative in academic institutions. In Donald McCabe’s

2001 study, involving 4500 high school students, entitled “Student Cheating in American

High Schools”, it was reported that 70% of the students admitted to seriously cheating

and 52% of the students admitted to copying sentences directly from the internet for use

in research papers (Scribner, 2003). Teachers are increasingly aware of this upsurge of

academic dishonesty and plagiarism.

For some teachers, this heightened awareness of student plagiarism has led to

teaching practices that create an environment of mistrust in the classroom. For example,


Janowski (2002) says that many teachers resort to the “Gotcha!” approach of confronting

plagiarism in their classrooms; teachers wait until the act of plagiarism has already been

committed, and then focus on catching the perpetrator. This claim is supported by the

number of websites and software programs recently designed to establish whether papers

have been plagiarized or not. One such website, turnitin.com, is currently being used by

teachers in over 1200 schools around the world for the explicit purpose of identifying

papers that have been plagiarized (Minkel, 2002).

Other teachers are hesitant to confront the issue of plagiarism at all. They fear

taking action because they worry they will not be supported by administrators and parents

(Petress, 2003). These fears are justified. When science teacher, Christine Pelton, flunked

28 of her students after proving they had plagiarized a major botany assignment, she was

forced to retract her actions and pass students due to lack of support from both parents

and district administrators (Carrol, 2002).

Many districts do not have clearly established rules or policies regarding

plagiarism and academic dishonesty. According to Minkel (2002), when his article, “Web

of Deceit” was written, the Oregon School Boards Association had no policies addressing

plagiarism in local districts. The tendency to not define plagiarism, to not establish strict

policies, and to not enforce those policies is common. These poor practices are often cited

as key factors for why students plagiarize (Pincuss, 2003, Scribner, 2003).

Several studies concerning plagiarism consider the effects of establishing an

honor code, or honesty contract(citations). The effectiveness of honor codes as deterrents

to plagiarism is inconclusive. Gary Niels (1996), author of “Academic Practices, School

Culture and Cheating Behavior”, writes that honor codes have the potential to effectively


deter academic dishonesty, but only if the entire school community embraces and “buys

in” to the honor code.

While establishing honor codes, providing clear definitions and policies in regards

to plagiarism, supporting teachers who take decisive action against academic dishonesty,

and use of software programs designed to catch plagiarists are methods that are likely to

help reduce plagiarism, they are often only effective once the dishonest acts have been

committed. To effectively discourage plagiarism before it is committed, teachers must

modify their classroom teaching practices.

Statement of the Problem

Many students are not learning in authentic, inquiry-based learning environments

and therefore are not learning research strategies that are necessary for solving relevant

problems. This is significant because the lack of relevance in curriculum combined with a

deficiency in formal research skills compels students to commit plagiarism.

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to establish that implementing inquiry-based teaching

practices and teaching research using specific strategies or models will help to prevent

plagiarism in schools.

Research Questions

The following research questions will guide this study: What motivates students

to plagiarize? What are the existing strategies for preventing plagiarism? How does the

use of authentic teaching practices, specifically, inquiry based and research-based

teaching methodologies, affect a student’s tendency to plagiarize?

Assumptions

In conducting this research, the author has assumed:


a) That inquiry-based curriculums are not being used in a majority of elementary

schools;

b) That a majority of elementary school students are not taught research methods

using specific research models; and

c) That despite the fact that many plagiarism prevention strategies have been

suggested, many schools fail to take specific measures to apply known strategies.

Delimitations

The research was limited to the present scope due to the time constraints of the

research class. The researcher restricted this study to reviewing literature of primary and

secondary sources. The reviews were selected based on their relevance to the purpose of

this study.

Definitions

The following list of definitions is offered to provide clarity in understanding the

content of this study:

Authenticity: Authenticity refers to “the extent to which a lesson, assessment task,

or sample of student performance represents construction of knowledge through the use

of disciplined inquiry that has some value or meaning beyond success in school (Abilene

USD, n.d.).” Authentic curriculum leads to personal and individual understanding of

ideas and concepts being learned.

Information Literacy: The Council of Australian University Librarians (CAUL)

define Information Literacy Standards as: "an understanding and set of abilities enabling

individuals to recognize when information is needed and have the capacity to locate,

evaluate, and use effectively the needed information".


Inquiry-based Learning: “Inquiry-based learning is a process where students

formulate investigative questions, obtain factual information, and then build knowledge

that ultimately reflects their answer to the original question (Jakes and Pennington,

2002).” Inquiry-based instruction requires that students conduct research. Throughout

the paper, the term inquiry-based learning will be used interchangeably with the term

problem-based learning.

Paper Mill: Paper mill is a term that refers to any website that offers

downloadable, pre-written papers either free or for a fee.

Plagiarism: "Plagiarism occurs when a sequence of ideas is transferred from a

source to a paper without the process of digestion, integration, and reordering in the

writer's mind, and without acknowledgment in the paper (Starr, 1997)."

The term plagiarism often refers to all forms of academic dishonesty, including

copying on tests, taking exams for someone, doing another student’s work and obtaining

copies of tests in advance. However, for the purpose of this study, plagiarism will refer

specifically to the acts of: 1) Copying words directly from sources without including

citations, 2) incorrectly using quotations, 3) inventing citations, quotations, anecdotes, or

sources, 4) submitting papers or projects that have been cut and paste from various

internet and CD-ROM sources, 5) submitting papers that have been written partially, or

entirely by someone else, for example a previous student, an older sibling, or a parent,

and 6) submitting papers that have been purchased or downloaded from an Internet paper

mill.

Relevance: Relevance describes a students’ perception of the value of any

particular lesson. The relevance of a lesson is considered great when a student feels that


the learning can be applied both socially and practically and when the learning is

authentic.

Research: The American Heritage Dictionary (2000) defines research as a

systematic investigation to establish facts (n.), a search for knowledge (n.), an attempt to

find out (v.), and to inquire into (v.). For the discussion of this paper, all four definitions

apply. Starr (1997) clarifies the meaning of research in regards to this discussion by

stating that the purpose of conducting research is to, “learn, absorb information,

internalize it, understand it, and explain it”.

Summary

Plagiarism has become a growing concern for educators at all levels. Studies are

revealing disturbing statistics regarding the number of students committing plagiarism.

This research seeks to 1) identify the reasons that students plagiarize, 2) organize existing

suggested methods of plagiarism prevention strategies, and 3) examine the correlation

between suggested prevention strategies and inquiry-based teaching practices. In

addition, potential models for implementing problem-based curriculums will be provided.

CHAPTER 2

Review of the Literature

Research has received a bad reputation with both teachers and students. Teachers

grumble that students are submitting papers that are poorly developed, lacking creativity,

and full of plagiarism. Students complain that research assignments are too long, have

little relevance, and can be overwhelming and confusing. One author described the

typical high school research paper as follows, “The paper is remembered as a painful

experience which taught the learner about note-cards, citations, and padding (Kenny,


1997, p 1).” He goes on to say, “In evaluating this belabored experience, I do not detect

much original thinking, or logical ordering of material in the paper, nor much excitement

in the process. This isn’t working (1997, p 1).” Kenny is right. Clearly, something is not

working and this is evident in studies showing the high percentages of students who are

willing to, or who are inadvertently, committing plagiarism. The following paragraphs

will review teaching practices that are and are not working to discourage plagiarism and

why.

Sources cited in this paper are primarily journal articles, magazine articles, and e-

articles that were accessed via various databases and web sites on the Internet. These

databases include the EBSCO Host Research Database, the ERIC Database, and the

MasterFILE Premier Database. Additional sources were located using the Google search

engine. Keywords searched included: plagiarism, cheating, plagiarism prevention

strategies, inquiry-based learning, problem-based learning, authentic teaching practices,

differentiation, information literacy, student research, and research models.

Plagiarism: Why Do Students Cheat?

For many students, the motivation to cheat is not malevolent but instead rooted in

uncertainty and lack of self-confidence. Students may experience uncertainty or lack of

confidence if they: 1) perceive of themselves as poor writers, 2) feel assignments are

unjustly assigned, 3) cannot determine the relevance of a lesson, 4) fear failure, or 5) lack

the experience necessary to complete an assignment. For a few, cheating remains an act

of unscrupulousness.

Poor writing skills. Scribner (2003, p 3) says, “When one lacks the skills to think

for himself or doesn’t understand what is being asked of him, it is easier and seems safer

to borrow the words and thoughts of others.” Starr (2002) reinforces this idea when she

STEPHANIE GREER

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reports that avoiding plagiarism is difficult for young writers because they have trouble

understanding how they can improve on the writing of an expert, or how they can “put

something in their own words”. If students do not feel confident summarizing or

paraphrasing the information they encounter during the research process, they will resort

to copying the information.

Unfair assignments. Students are likely to feel overwhelmed and confused by

assignments that have not been carefully modeled for them or assignments that require

unrealistic parameters. Teachers often assign research projects under the assumption that

students prepossess the necessary skills to conduct the research. This is often not the case,

and faced with a task they do not know how to complete, students feel resentful and view

the assignment as unfair. Additionally, teachers frequently assign unnecessarily long

papers or set due dates that conflict with other important due dates. Again, students are

likely to resent this tendency and perceive of the assignment as unfair. Belief that an

assignment is unfair is listed as a major motivating factor as to why students plagiarize

(Niels, 1996).

Lessons lack relevance. Sources describe the relevance of the curriculum as

another significant determinant in whether or not students plagiarize (Gibson, 2001,

Niels, 1996, Starr, 2002). If students do not experience an authentic connection with the

curriculum, and do not feel their lessons are meaningful, they will look for shortcuts in

order to finish their assignments quickly. Macrorie suggests that research projects often

fail because, “School is a place for sitters and receivers, not searchers and learners

(Gibson, 2001).” When students are involved in their learning, they are far less likely to

try to cut corners.


Fear of failure. Pressure to succeed in school also leads to plagiarism. When

students feel that success is determined by grades, they are less inclined to take academic

risks and are more inclined to let others think for them. For many students, the high-

stakes education model that currently exists causes them to rely on plagiarism as a

survival instinct (Niels, 1996). McCabe suggests that students are under more pressure to

be right than they are to have creative thoughts (Niels, 1996). This pressure is likely to

leave students seeking the fastest route to the safest answer. Niels (1996) proposes that

students who fear alienation and failure at school try to “save face” in front of teachers,

peers, and parents, by searching for alternative routes to success, including partaking in

various forms of academic dishonesty.

No experience. Perhaps the most important reason that students plagiarize is that

they are simply unaware that they are committing plagiarism. If a student has never been

formally taught to complete assignments without plagiarizing, then it is likely that the

student will plagiarize unintentionally. For example, if a student does not know how to

cite a source, paraphrase an idea, or reference a quotation, then it is unlikely that they will

do so in their assignments.

Because they can. Lastly, Niels proposes that students will plagiarize if a teacher

is overtly boring, dull or unfriendly, but warns that too much trust and familiarity in a

classroom can also lead to plagiarism (1996). Starr (1997) states that: some students cheat

because they can; some cheat because they want to finish quickly; some are just lazy. It is

important to acknowledge that not all students are victims of poor teaching practices.

Some will cheat regardless.

To review, students will cheat when they lack-confidence or feel uncertain about

an assignment. Some will cheat to meet the demands of high-pressure academic


situations. There will likely always be a few students who cheat simply because they are

naughty or dishonest. With a clear understanding of why students plagiarize, it is possible

to review existing plagiarism prevention strategies from an informed perspective.

Plagiarism: Overview of Prevention Strategies

In order to organize existing plagiarism prevention strategies, Malouff and Sims

suggest using Vroom’s expectancy theory of employee motivation. They summarize

Vroom’s theory as follows:

Employees perform best when they expect their assigned work to be feasible and

to lead to outcomes that they value… expecting a particular type of work to be

difficult and likely to lead to personally meaningful negative consequences makes

it less likely that employees will carry out the work. (1996, p. 1)

Malouff and Simms (1996) suggest that Vroom’s theory can be applied to organize

prevention strategies under the following five headings: 1) Students should understand

the rules of ethical writing; 2) Assignments should be manageable; 3) Ethical writing

should lead to personally important benefits; 4) Plagiarism should be difficult; and 5)

Plagiarism should lead to personally important costs. Although it appears Malouff and

Simms intended this model to organize prevention strategies used at the university level,

it serves equally well for organizing prevention strategies applicable in elementary,

middle, and high school classrooms. Strategies for plagiarism prevention at these levels

will be explained within the context of Malouff and Simms’ model.

Students should understand the rules of ethical writing. In order to make sure

students understand the rules of ethical writing, sources suggest teachers discuss

plagiarism with students, clearly define the term plagiarism for students, and explain the

many facets of plagiarism (Starr, 1997, Niels, 1996, Malouff 1996). Harris (1997) adds


that an explicit definition of plagiarism is important because many students are not

familiar with the term and cultural differences may exist in how the word is defined.

In addition to providing a clear definition of plagiarism, teachers must teach

specific ethical writing strategies. These strategies include teaching students how to

paraphrase text and avoid copying verbatim from texts, how to correctly use quotations,

cite sources, and compile working bibliographies, and how to correctly summarize

excerpts of text. Niels (1996) also suggests that schools require a specific, widely

accepted writing format such as the American Psychological Association (APA) style

format or the Modern Language Association (MLA) style format. Teachers and librarians

should teach students how to use these formats and style guides should be available in

school libraries and classrooms for student use.

Assignments should be manageable. In order to ensure that assignments are

manageable teachers should consider: a) the length of the assignment, b) the due date of

the assignment, c) the steps leading up to the assignment, and d) the amount of emotional

and physical support available to students during the completion of the assignment.

Students must expect that their academic goals are obtainable (Malouff, 1996).

Teachers ought to emphasize the process and content of the assignment, not the length of

the assignment. For example, it is unnecessary to assign twenty page papers to seventh

graders.

Teachers should also avoid setting due dates that conflict with other important due

dates (Malouff, 1996). There is a tendency for teachers to set due dates at the end of a

grading period. Teachers should be aware of this tendency and select alternative due

dates so that students do not feel that their academic load is unmanageable. If students


feel overwhelmed, they will resort to cutting corners in order to meet the requirements of

unrealistic or unfair workloads (Niels, 1996).

Teachers can also make assignments manageable by providing clear steps that

lead to the successful completion of assignments. This practice not only increases

students’ expectations that the project will be manageable, but also keeps students from

procrastinating and resorting to purchasing, copying, or borrowing prewritten papers.

Hinchcliffe (1998) suggests that teachers can break projects into reasonable pieces by

collecting and assessing, proposals, notes, drafts, and working bibliographies. Each of

these steps should be assigned a specific due date so that students may plan in order to

meet due dates.

Lastly, in order for students to expect their workloads to be manageable, they

must feel that both emotional and physical assistance is available to them. Research is not

an intuitive process; students need assistance from teachers and librarians (Thomas,

2001). In Carol Kulhthau’s (2001) paper, “The Information Search Process (ISP): A

Search for Meaning Rather than Answers” she discusses the various levels of uncertainty

that students experience as they proceed through research assignments. She defines

uncertainty as “a cognitive state that commonly causes affective symptoms of anxiety and

lack of confidence” (2001, p 9). She explains that during periods of uncertainty, students

are likely to enter a “zone of intervention”. Based on Vygotsky’s zone of proximal

development, the zone of intervention refers to, “the area where a person can do with

assistance what he or she cannot do alone” (2001, p 10). The specific type of

intervention strategy a teacher uses will vary from student to student. Assisting a student

may be as simple as offering a kind, supportive acknowledgement that the student’s work

is progressing correctly, or helping a student to locate a source in the library. Assisting a


student may be as involved as helping a student categorize information that she has

collected. What is important is that teachers and librarians are available to assist students

when they are feeling uncertain and unsure as to how to proceed with their work.

To recapitulate, students will perceive of their assignment as manageable if the

assignment is not too long, has a reasonable due date, and is broken down into smaller,

more specific goals. Additionally, students will feel that their assignment is manageable

if teachers and librarians are available to assist them during periods of uncertainty.

Ethical writing should lead to personally important benefits. “Students must be

taught not only how to synthesize ideas and facts encountered in reading and research

into their own words, but also why doing so is a matter of scholarship and personal

integrity” (Scribner, 2003). It is important for students to understand that each time they

correctly paraphrase, cite a source, use quotations, or synthesize ideas; they are

demonstrating respectful and ethical behavior. It is important for teachers to reinforce the

value of these character traits by explaining their relevance.

Students will perceive of assignments as having personally important benefits

when they are able to make an explicit connection between what is happening in the

classroom and what is happening in their personal lives. Teachers can use a variety of

strategies to ensure that students have authentic learning experiences when conducting

research by allowing students to choose their own research topics and making specific

connections between classroom practices and real-world applications. For example,

teachers can help students develop an authentic connection to the importance of ethical

writing by demonstrating how ethical writing benefits students in their own lives; this is

achieved by explaining to students that proficient, ethical writers have more career

opportunities and often have higher paying jobs (Malouff, 1996).


Plagiarism should be difficult. Teachers should make plagiarism appear difficult

for students. Assigning narrow research topics that are specifically designed around class

discussions will deter students from assembling cut and paste papers. Additionally, a

variety of specific source types should be required in order to ensure that students have

synthesized information obtained from multiple sources and not simply paraphrased a

single source.

Plagiarism will appear difficult if large projects are broken down into a number of

smaller assignments. By dividing assignments, teachers discourage the practice of

purchasing, copying, or submitting pre-written work. Sources suggest that teachers break

down larger assignments by having students hand in research proposals, note cards,

working bibliographies, photocopies of sources and rough drafts with edits (Hinchcliffe,

1998, Malouff, 1996). Hinchcliffe (1998) also suggests having students reflect on what

they have learned during the research process. Students who have not conducted the

research will find it difficult to generate the intermediate steps and difficult to reflect on

the process while students who have conducted the research will find these tasks simple.

Teachers and districts can also make plagiarism challenging for students by

having clear policies and consequences regarding plagiarism. Teachers should inform

students that all questionable sources will be confirmed and that their papers will be

crosschecked for plagiarism using special websites and software (Starr, 2002). It should

be explained to students that papers or assignments that have been plagiarized will

receive a failing grade and there will be no opportunity to improve the failing grade

(Harris, 1997).

Lastly, teachers should become familiar with the individual writing voices of their

students (Scribner, 2003). When students paraphrase incorrectly, copy directly from a


source, or submit pre-written papers, teachers should recognize that a change in voice has

occurred. Teachers must explain the concept of developing a writing voice to their

students and inform them that when they plagiarize it is often obvious and easy to detect

the change in voice.

To review, teachers should make plagiarism difficult for students by assigning

narrow topics that require synthesis of information, by requiring students to submit works

in progress, and by having students reflect on the research process. Additionally, districts,

schools, and teachers should have specific policies and consequences for plagiarism and

should enforce them consistently. Lastly, teachers should know their students writing

styles and should inform students that they will be questioned if their writing seems to

written in someone else’s voice.

Plagiarism should lead to personally important costs. In addition to making

plagiarism difficult for students, teachers must also help educate students as to why

plagiarism will lead to personally important costs. A number of suggestions have been

made in regards to specific dialogues that can help younger students understand the perils

of plagiarism. In order to help students begin thinking about the effects of plagiarism,

Scribner suggests that teachers ask students “How the thought of being operated on by a

surgeon who cheated her way through medical school makes them feel!” (2003, p 3).

Teachers can also discuss with students the idea that if they cheat at a young age in

school, they will find it easier to cheat as adults in other situations, maybe even cheat on

people whom they love (Niels, 1996).

It is important for students to understand that the cost of plagiarism is integrity; it

defames ones character. Niels cites the Thomas Linkona’s five reasons why cheating is

wrong from his book Educating Character:


1) It will definitely lower your self-respect, because you can never be proud of

anything you got by cheating.

2) Cheating is a lie, because it deceives other people into thinking you know more

than you do.

3) Cheating violates the teacher’s trust that you will do your own work.

4) Furthermore, it undermines the whole trust relationship between teacher and class.

5) Cheating is unfair to people who aren’t cheating (Niels, 1996, p).

These five statements can be used to generate classroom discussions about academic

dishonesty, or given to students as reflective journal prompts, or posted on the classroom

wall as a reminder for students that academic dishonesty is unethical has personally

important costs.

Conclusions. Having thoroughly examined current suggested methods for

preventing plagiarism, it is possible to draw the following three conclusions: 1) Students

must believe that conducting research is relevant to their own lives or they will

plagiarize. 2) Students must be taught specific research methods and have a clear

understanding of how not to plagiarize or they will inadvertently plagiarize. 3) Teachers

must be aware of why students plagiarize and how to prevent them from plagiarizing;

they must modify their teaching practices accordingly, or students will plagiarize.

Based on these conclusions, the following question will be examined: 1) How does the

use of authentic teaching practices, specifically, inquiry-based teaching practices,

increase the relevance of curriculum and in turn affect a student’s tendency to commit

plagiarism?

Inquiry Based Learning:


Jakes and Pennington define inquiry-based or problem-based learning as, “a

process where students formulate investigative questions, obtain factual information, and

then build knowledge that ultimately reflects their answer to the original question (Jakes

and Pennington, 2002).” Inquiry -based learning focuses on teaching research with

emphasis placed on the process of problem solving; the problem-solving process is

valued as much as specific content area theories or facts. Its purpose is to teach students

how to answer real-world, personally relevant, questions.

Carol (2002) lists the following six traits of inquiry-based learning.

1) Students are encouraged to question;

2) Teachers do not provide all the information;

3) Teachers take a non-judgmental stance;

4) Students are provided time to explore; they aren’t rushed;

5) Students cooperate and interact with peers;

6) Resources are available and students are given freedom.

Unlike traditional classroom models, where a teacher provides most of the

questions as well as the answers, in an inquiry-based classroom, students are responsible

for generating their own questions as well as their own answers. The teacher’s role is that

of a learning facilitator. Although many teachers initially find this difficult to embrace

and get used to, if they are patient, organized, and prepared, they are likely to discover

that teaching inquiry-based lessons is rewarding because students enjoy what they are

doing (Tress, 1999). Additionally, for new teachers who may have studied one area in

college and are suddenly responsible for teaching a different area, problem-based

curriculum can be very helpful.


Says Hahn, you may have been a music major, and suddenly you have to manage

this inquiry where kids are wondering things that you don’t know. Part of it is

allowing you to say to the kids, “I don’t know the answer to this, either. Let’s

learn together. What are the things we’d need to know to figure out this problem?

What things do we need to look at? (Tress, 1999)

By taking this approach to curriculum, teachers model for students that learning is an on-

going process. They also demonstrate the practical application of understanding research

methods; “Here is a question or a problem, how will we answer it or solve it?” In

modeling these behaviors, teachers help students recognize the authenticity and relevance

of obtaining research skills.

Inquiry-based learning always begins with a “big question”, or what Jakes (2002)

calls an essential question, that is developed by the whole class, small collaborative

groups, or individuals. Jakes suggests that, “What is?” questions should especially not be

used because they encourage students to collect facts and reorganize them instead of

collecting facts, categorizing, evaluating, and synthesizing them (2002). After students

have determined their “big question”, Jakes suggests that students develop a number of

foundation questions, at this point, “what is” questions are acceptable, because the facts

will have to be reorganized in order to be applied to the “big question”. After establishing

foundation questions, teachers must help students develop search strategies. This can

include teaching students to develop keywords for web searches, planning a trip to the

school library for a lesson on using card catalogs, or how to collect data for an

experiment. In addition learning search strategies, students must also learn to evaluate

their sources for applicability, authority, and reliability (Jakes, 2002).


By comparing the traits and practices of inquiry-based learning with the

plagiarism prevention strategies previously discussed, it is possible to deduce that

teaching problem-based curriculum in the classroom will prevent student plagiarism. By

acting as facilitator and taking a non-judgmental stance towards their students, teachers

provide emotional and physical assistance for students. By allowing time for students to

explore their particular topics, it is less likely that conflicting due dates will be set. By

allowing students to choose their own questions, the curriculum becomes relevant. By

helping students refine their research questions and narrow their topics, teachers make

plagiarism difficult and deter students from creating cut and paste papers or purchasing

pre-written papers from paper mills. By stepping students through specific research

strategies during a problem-based lesson, teachers will remove anxiety and uncertainty

caused by lack of experience and make assignments manageable. By having students

work collaboratively, competitive behaviors will be reduced (Niels, 1996) and students

will be less likely to fear failure.

Inquiry-based instruction must be specifically modified in one area in order to

meet the criteria of suggested plagiarism prevention strategies. During problem-based

lessons, teachers must define plagiarism, discuss plagiarism, and establish clear policies

and consequences regarding plagiarism.

Summary


CHAPTER 3

Methods – (Research Design)

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to establish a correlation between teaching

students a problem-based curriculum using specific research models and preventing

plagiarism in the classroom. In order to establish the correlation between the two, I will

work to implement a specific research model in my elementary school and collect

samples in an attempt to prove that problem-based teaching practices deter students from

purposely and inadvertently committing plagiarism.

Participants

The participants in this study will be elementary school students at Centinela

Elementary School in Inglewood, California. This group of students consists of both

African American students and Latino students. In regards to socio-economics,

approximately 60% of the student body qualifies for the free lunch program.

The first group of students to participate in the study will be my incoming (2003)

sixth grade class. The class will be predominately composed of GATE students and high

achieving students. There are likely to be a number of students who are designated

English Language Learners (ELL).

Action Research Plan

The following action research plan is designed to be implemented over the course of a

three to five year timeframe. It is meant to serve as an outline only and modifications will

be made to the plan as a greater understanding of the study is gained.


Year one. During year one, I intend to collect student samples from all grade

levels to establish the current state of the research being conducted by students at

Centinela. I will also conduct teacher, student, and parent interviews and surveys in order

to establish the current views and practices associated with research instruction and

plagiarism. It will be important to establish a starting point in order to prove that

improvement is taking place as the study continues.

I will pilot Virginia Morse and Cindy Nottage’s (2003), Independent

Investigation Method (IIM™) in my sixth grade GATE classroom. I will introduce

students to the IIM™ approach using four progressive steps. First, I will teach a whole

group research lesson at the Basic Level. Second, I will have students complete a

research project at the Basic Level in small groups. Third, I will have students complete

an independent project at the Basic Level. Finally, for those students who have mastered

the Basic Level, I will introduce the Proficient Level and have them conduct research in

preparation for the school science fair. During this process, I will keep a reflective

journal, maintain a video log for use in a staff training video, and collect student samples.

Additionally, I will use the plagiarism prevention strategies described in Chapter 2. At

the end of the year, I will re-interview the students and parents to see if views regarding

research and plagiarism have changed.

Year two. Pending a successful implementation of the IIM™ method during year

one, at the start of year two I will present my first year findings to the school staff. I will

recruit teachers from grade levels 4, 5, and 6, who are interested in forming an action

research team and who are interested in implementing the IIM™ method in their

classrooms. After establishing a team, we will set research goals for the year. Goals will

include: holding bi-monthly meetings to discuss observations, share entries from research


journals, and review student samples. During year two, the team and I will continue to

keep reflective journals, video logs, and students samples. As in year one, surveys and

interviews will be conducted with students and parents at both the start and close of each

year.

Year three. As a team, we will present the staff with our research findings. We

will propose that the school implement a specific research model, IIM™, in all

classrooms beginning as early as kindergarten and first grades.

In order to prepare teachers for IIM™ implementation, staff development will be

offered in the form of a training video compiled by the team, as well as external

development offered by the authors of IIM™. During year three, teachers will collaborate

to establish a specific research vocabulary and to develop grade-level research units.

During year three, the staff will establish school-wide goals and expectations in regards

to research and school-wide policies and consequences in regards to plagiarism.

Years four and five. During years four and five, the primary goals will be to:

1) Continue to develop the information literacy of the students through the

implementation of school-wide research models,

2) Continue to discourage plagiarism by implementing school-wide policies and

consequences in regards to plagiarism,

3) Monitor the success or failure of the action in order to reevaluate the purpose,

4) Follow-up with students from year one for interviews regarding their middle school

and early high school experiences with research and plagiarism, and

5) Compile and synthesize data in preparation for publishing the findings of the study.

CHAPTER 4

Summary and Conclusion


In summary, many students do not commit plagiarism to be malevolent, but

instead because they lack experience using research skills, and they lack confidence in

their own writing. Students also are inclined to plagiarize when they do not feel the

curriculum they are studying is relevant to their own lives. Plagiarism prevention

strategies exist and can be organized using Vroom’s employee expectancy model as is

suggested by Malouff and Sims (1996). By examining existing prevention strategies, it is

possible to draw a correlation between teaching inquiry-based curriculums and

preventing plagiarism in the classroom.

Conclusion

Inquiry-based teaching practices are conducive to the prevention of plagiarism

because the curriculum is relevant and research centered. Students therefore are

motivated to do their own work while being provided with the physical and emotional

support needed to prevent uncertainty.

Implications for Teaching

Many schools are investigating strategies to prevent plagiarism that only address

the problem once it exists. These methods include stricter consequences for plagiarism

and purchasing rights to software that can identify work that has been plagiarized. While

these strategies are suggested and should be implemented, they should only be used in

conjunction with teaching practices that address the problem before its inception.

Implications for Further Research

Although there are a number of studies that have been conducted to identify why

students plagiarize, there are very few studies available that provide conclusive evidence


as to whether or not existing suggested prevention strategies are effective in reducing

plagiarism. It would be beneficial to track groups of students form both traditional and

problem-based classrooms, to examine whether or not a conclusive evidence could be

established as to whether problem-based curriculums reduce plagiarism or not.

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