What makes students cheat?
Poor time management and fear of failure are a few reasons students plagiarise, said a lecturer at the Institute of Education at the British University in Dubai (BUiD) recently. In an ongoing study aimed at pushing the plagiarism debate forward, Dr Ruqiyabi Naz Awan included constant pressure for students to perform well, cultural differences and increased internet usage as other reasons that drive students towards plagiarism. Referring to a recent survey conducted on 2,600 students in the UAE, Awan said: “Students in the UAE justified cheating by noting how difficult some of their courses were. In effect students felt they were justified to plagiarise and cheat because they felt the courses developed were too difficult for them.” Inconsistencies Awan said academics have their own definition of plagiarism “but I’m more interested in finding out if they know what their institution’s definition and policy of plagiarism is”. Awan also spoke about the recognition that there is inconsistenc
