I am sure it is not a myth. For example I had a very good student from Hong
Kong who had excellent English and who had incorporated without due
references some of the words of her appointed external examiner in her
thesis. She genuinely thought that she was showing deference and should not
have altered his words.
Marianne
-----Original Message-----
From: J Guild [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 14 February 2003 10:57 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Cultural Excuses
Tim,
I don't think it's an academic myth. I see a reasonable proportion of cases
coming from South
European exchange students whose experience of HE is very much 'write down
what you know or what
I've told you - we're not interested in your opinion or interpretation'.
This is also the case with
Far East students.
We need to have culturally-sensitive policies to cope with plagiarism but
these have to be directed
at front-loading skills acquisition in the British HE context. They come
here for our experience -
we can't dilute that by setting them lower standards to reach.
I think there is a probem with language ability - certainly expression
rather than comprehension -
and this is the thing that often exposes them - the sudden burst of fluency,
the unexpected clarity
which arises from an example of plagiarism. So language support is also key
for these students.
Jim.
> From: "Grant, T." <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2003 10:45:29 -0000
> Subject: Cultural Excuses
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Reply-To: Plagiarism <[log in to unmask]>,
> "Grant, T." <[log in to unmask]>
>
> One excuse I hear a lot, working in distance learning, is that there are
cultural differences in
> approaches to learning and that our Far East students may adopt a more
Master/Apprentice model of
> learning. Under this model it is said copying is essential to learning.
Under University rules
> the students can be guilty of plagiarism.
>
> I am unsure whether
>
> a) this is an academic myth
> b) this is in fact a valid explanation for the relatively high rates of
plagiarism found in these
> students essays
> c) these high rates can be better explained in terms of the students
limited linguistic
> competence in English (although they all have to meet minimum standards
required by the
> university).
>
> Tim
> ______________________________________
> Tim Grant
> Lecturer in Forensic Psychology
> Forensic Section
> School of Psychology
> University of Leicester
> Cobden House
> 106 New Walk
> Leicester
> LE1 7EA
>
> [log in to unmask]
> http://www.le.ac.uk/psychology/tg21/
>
> 0116 252 3658 (Direct Line)
> 0116 252 2451 (Secretary)
> 0116 252 3994 (Fax)
>
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>
Jim Guild, Assistant Registrar, Undergraduate Office,
University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9RH. Tel:
01273 - 606755 ext. 3819, E-mail: [log in to unmask]
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