ERIC Number: EJ983143
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 38
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-166X
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Rational Ignorance in Education: A Field Experiment in Student Plagiarism
Dee, Thomas S.; Jacob, Brian A.
Journal of Human Resources, v47 n2 p397-434 Spr 2012
Plagiarism appears to be a common problem among college students, yet there is little evidence on the effectiveness of interventions designed to minimize plagiarism. This study presents the results of a field experiment that evaluated the effects of a web-based educational tutorial in reducing plagiarism. We found that assignment to the treatment group substantially reduced the likelihood of plagiarism, particularly among student with lower SAT scores who had the highest rates of plagiarism. A followup survey suggests that the intervention reduced plagiarism by increasing student knowledge rather than by increasing the perceived probabilities of detection and punishment. (Contains 2 figures, 8 tables and 26 footnotes.)
Descriptors: Evidence, Probability, Plagiarism, Scores, College Students, Intervention, Web Based Instruction, College Entrance Examinations, Surveys, Knowledge Level, Student Attitudes, Instructional Effectiveness, Statistical Analysis, Inferences
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: SAT (College Admission Test)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A