Introduction
As part of the learning curriculum, students are expected to present their original ideas for examination and assessment by the tutors. It enables the tutors to assess the progress of the students and the meeting of the learning outcomes and objectives of every unit. In case students borrow ideas from other authors, it is imperative that they follow the right guidelines that govern the recognition of information source. Failure to do so amounts to academic dishonesty or plagiarism which is can lead to suspension, expulsion or loss of credits. Despite, being offered proper guidelines on plagiarism and consequences of engaging in this vice, there has been a dramatic spike in plagiarism cases in the school. Therefore, there is need to identify the cause of the problem that threaten the future of many students and school community at large.
Survey Goals
- To identify the cause of a dramatic rise in plagiarism cases among students
- To identify student plagiarism awareness levels in the school
Sampling
The survey will use a systematic random sampling where a convenient sample of 100 students and 10 tutors will be sampled. A convenient sample will be used because of the time and financial constraints.
Survey Methodology
The survey will be a cross-sectional study conducted through questionnaires, field notes and interviews.
Questionnaire Design
The survey will use open-ended questionnaires with simple and short questions. The questionnaires will be both print and online to suit the various needs of the respondents. The interviews will also follow the same format but will be used for the tutors only.
Pilot Survey
A pilot survey will be conducted to test the effectiveness of the questionnaires and the interview questions. The sample group for the pilot survey will comprise of 10 randomly selected students and one tutor. Their responses will be used to edit and revise the questionnaires and interview questions to be used for the survey.
Data Analysis
The collected data will be analyzed using simple descriptive statistics and statistical package for social sciences (SPSS).
Presentation of Findings
The survey results will be presented to the school administration in the form PowerPoint presentation and Ms Word document and PDF with a soft copy sent to the administration too.