Plagiarism in ESL/EFL Context
By
Shamaila Ali Hasan
Plagiarism has become a serious issue among academic societies across the world
because most of the students in the higher education levels are aiming to plagiarism to
complete their assignments and research papers. Basically, plagiarism has its roots from
the Latin word “plagiarus” which means “kidnapper” or “abductor.” It is, in academic
dictionary, considered cheating or stealing of other people’s ideas and forming them as
own. Thus it is morally and ethically wrong. In academia, plagiarism is defined as the
\"use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the
representation of them as one's own original work (Wikipedia, 2009).
There are a lot of websites established to accommodate this need. Research papers
are sold online and students are told to follow this easy solution to submit term papers
and sometimes whole dissertations (ibid.).
The practice of plagiarism is rampant mainly due to the rapid advancement in
information technology. A lot of information, which includes literary composition,
journal articles as well as practically anybody’s work, is put online, readily accessible to
any interested parties. Other reasons or justifications for plagiarizing include pressure to
meet deadlines, being encumbered by other responsibilities such as working and family
commitments, as well as having poor skills in writing especially for English as Second
Language (ESL) and English as Foreign Language (EFL) students. Regardless of the
reason, it seems that students in higher education do not take the issue seriously enough
(Yusof, 2009).
Among many of the cases cited on plagiarism, Asian students have been
highlighted as one of the largest number contributing to the problem. These students, or
ESL/EFL learners, who study in USA and UK commonly practice plagiarism. ESL
learners, who are relatively new to the language compounded with their lack of
understanding of the western learning culture, find difficulties to grasp the very idea of
plagiarism. It is difficult for them to avoid it and to appropriately write an academic
paper. The concept of plagiarism is confusing among non-westerners especially ESL
learners all around the world. It is undoubtedly a daunting task for ESL learners who are
strangers to the western principles, standards and values to embrace the concept of
plagiarism (ibid.).
It could be argued that plagiarism could be an inherent part of learning by ESL
learners and thus should be tolerated. A form of copying named as patchwriting to
facilitate the writing process. She defines it as a process of “copying from a text, deleting
some words, changing some grammatical structures or substituting words with
synonyms”. “The nature of learning to write is a developmental process...” and explains
that “the concept of patchwriting – which many consider a form of plagiarism – as a
useful learning strategy for ESL students as they move from second-language writing
skills to mature writing” (ibid.).
There is no denying that many institutions across the world have endorsed the
concept of plagiarism and its rulings/punishments. We simply borrowed the definitions of
plagiarism and print those into our academic rules and regulations handbook, including

the penalties involved upon getting caught, knowing to a certain degree that the concept
possibly emerged in the west and thus could be challenged. Perhaps it could be said that
we have simply “plagiarized” the concept into our education system. It is due to this
understanding that a new perspective on plagiarism that is solidly based on our cultural
views should be formed (ibid.).
As has been mentioned earlier, the rise in the use of the internet has led to an
increase in plagiarism. It is important that mainstream teachers understand the reasons
why this practice may be widespread among the ESL students in their classes. Plagiarism
by ESL students is rarely as a result of laziness or the inability to think for themselves. If
they find part of a text that conveys the information that they wish to convey or expresses
the idea that they wish to express, it is not surprising that many will simply copy the
passage into their own work. Some of them do not have good enough English to express
themselves to their own satisfaction in their own words; or they feel they haven't been
given enough time to do so. Others may believe that it is showing respect to the author if
they use his or her words without changing them. Many of them have no idea that
plagiarism will be regarded by most of their teachers as a kind of cheating (“ESL students
and plagiarism”, 2009).
There are several approaches that may help to reduce the incidence of plagiarism.
In fact ESL teachers can play a very effective part in getting students out of this.
Teachers may make sure that students know the word “plagiarism”, what it means and
what the school policy is on it. They must have students practice note-taking skills and
get them write the first draft of their reports from notes without referring to the original.
Teachers can also help the ESL students in understanding that the process is often more
important than the product. Particularly in the lower grades it is possible to reward an
original piece of work higher than a more accomplished piece of writing that has been
plagiarized (ibid.).
Teachers should practice with students when and how to cite or quote, when and
how to paraphrase, show them examples in the readings they must do and insist that they
follow the guidance set out in the school's style guide. They must discuss plagiarism with
students as an example of cultural differences, which include eye contact in class and
responding to teachers' questions (ibid.).
Most ESL students think it bad to copy. Several students have serious problems
with mosaic plagiarism; it is often paired with low reading ability and differing notions
about ownership of information and how to incorporate information from outside reading
and still give credit to the original author (Wilkinson, 2008).
There is a significant gap between ESL students’ ability to write personal or
narrative essays, which they can do well, and their ability to write in two of the most
common academic genres in the disciplines summaries, and essays in which students are
able to make connections between the theory presented in readings and lecture without
plagiarizing. “One major obstacle for ESL students trying to write in more academic
genres is the minefield and temptation of plagiarism.” Teachers have a zero tolerance
policy and non-native speakers may not really know what it is. Students often tell that
they really hate to make mistakes; they also feel like they don’t really know how to write
what they are asked to write in class. Even when models are provided, they don’t know
how to begin (ibid.).

Teacher should keep track of how much students plagiarize each semester, and try
to control it, although they will still do it. Students write essays in controlled settings
which include writing in class without access to their sources and teacher monitored
writing environments, but still manage to plagiarize. Teacher group at the intermediate
writing level may set a target teaching and learning goal for 0% plagiarism. Even though
ESL depends heavily on in class writing, frequent conferences and repeated practice with
journaling, free writing, and summary writing – students still plagiarize for a variety of
reasons, which includes at least in part, the ability to memorize large blocks of text
(ibid.).
ESL students face many obstacles in their efforts to use an academic register,
write grammatically correct sentences, and transfer writing strategies and genres learned
in ESL classes to mainstream academic coursework. One essential underpinning is the
ability to recognize and avoid plagiarism in their writing. Increasing vocabulary
recognition, focused feedback on rhetorical and sentence level error all form part of the
patchwork that builds the bridge across the gap for students, as do effective use of
classroom technology and interactive websites and databases (ibid.).
However, teacher strategies alone cannot address the problem of plagiarism in
higher education. Teachers should also have realistic expectations of students after one or
two semesters in higher education. It is unreasonable to assume all students can overturn
a lifetime of educational socialization in one or two semesters. Educators should also
understand those second language students’ goals, expectations, and family pressures
may be more rigid than for other students. Students often feel an overwhelming pressure
to do well to please their families since they are paying so much for them to be in schools
(ibid.).
Ideas about culture, ownership and what kind of knowledge is valued also play a
part in why students may be tempted to plagiarize. Teachers should use a combination of
awareness of both sets of challenges while avoiding the easy solution of stereotyping
large groups of individuals in a certain way. Each student will be a result of a complex
interplay of culture, language and individual differences and accordingly should be
guided by teachers with this more realistic paradigm in mind. Students are complex, and
so are the reasons that they may plagiarize (ibid.).
References:
ESL students and plagiarism. (2009). Retrieved April 28, 2009 from
http://esl.fis.edu/teachers/support/plag.htm
Plagiarism. (2009). Retrieved April 28, 2009 from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plagiarism
Wilkinson, L. R. (2008). ESL academic writing and plagiarism. Retrieved April 28, 2009
from http://iteslj.org/Articles/Wilkinson-Plagiarism.html
Yusof, Y. D. (2009). A different perspective on plagiarism. Retrieved April 28, 2009
from http://iteslj.org/Articles/Yusof-Plagiarism.html