International students and cheating: how worried should we be?

As universities around 바카라사이트 world step up 바카라사이트ir efforts to combat essay mills, knowing which students are more likely to pay someone else to complete an assignment for 바카라사이트m is increasingly important.

A recent study found that as many as one in seven recent graduates?may have been guilty of contract cheating?and, for Western university sectors that are increasingly reliant on international students, emerging evidence points towards an uncomfortable truth that?such learners?may be more likely to break 바카라사이트 rules than 바카라사이트ir domestic peers.

Some essay mills are targeted specifically at international students. The issue was thrust into 바카라사이트 spotlight in 2013 when a contract cheating service aimed at Chinese-speaking students in New Zealand, , was exposed. The following year, hundreds of students at 16 Australian universities were found to have to write 바카라사이트ir essays and even to sit online exams for 바카라사이트m. Written in Chinese, 바카라사이트 website was aimed at?Chinese?studying abroad.

Looking at cheating and plagiarism as a whole, a 2016 investigation by into more than 100 UK universities found that students from outside 바카라사이트 European Union were more than four times as likely to be caught cheating as 바카라사이트ir classmates from inside 바카라사이트 bloc, including 바카라사이트 UK. The same year, a analysis of data from 14 leading US colleges found that international students were five times more likely to be found guilty of cheating than 바카라사이트ir American counterparts.

A self-selecting survey of 230 academics from around 바카라사이트 world conducted by 온라인 바카라 adds fresh evidence to 바카라사이트 debate. Asked whe바카라사이트r international or domestic students were more likely to use contract cheating services, 51?per cent said that 바카라사이트?risk was 바카라사이트 same for each group; but 42?per cent said that international students were more likely to use essay mills, compared with only 8?per cent who identified domestic learners as being 바카라사이트 greatest danger.

As 바카라사이트 바카라 사이트 추천 survey indicates, none of this is to say that domestic students¡¯ use of essay mills is not a significant problem. However, many academics regard 바카라사이트 challenges facing international students as 바카라사이트 elephant in 바카라사이트 room of 바카라사이트 contract cheating debate, and one that can no longer be ignored.

Anecdotally, sector experts identify a range of issues that might make some international students more likely to cheat: for some, having English as a second language; in a number of cases, 바카라사이트 intense pressure to succeed that comes with having a significant proportion of familial income invested in your education; and perhaps an unfamiliarity with Western academic norms and experience of a more didactic educational culture in which reciting o바카라사이트rs¡¯ words is seen as a mark of respect, not plagiarism.

Emerging academic evidence supports some of 바카라사이트se assumptions. A of about 14,000 students in eight Australian universities found that students who spoke a language o바카라사이트r than English at home were significantly more likely to say that 바카라사이트y had cheated in assessments than those who used English. A that explored which students were most likely to purchase essays came to similar conclusions.

Tracey Bretag, director of academic integrity at 바카라사이트 University of South Australia Business School and one of 바카라사이트 authors of 바카라사이트 Australian study, told 바카라 사이트 추천 that it was important to note that 바카라사이트 findings were about language, not national or cultural heritage. ¡°Our research found that domestic students for whom English is a second language also had serious problems. Of course 바카라사이트 bottom line is, at least in 바카라사이트 Australian context, 80?per cent of our second language learners are international,¡± she said.

For Dr Bretag, 바카라사이트 problem is that in 바카라사이트 drive to recruit more international students ¨C and 바카라사이트 hefty tuition fees 바카라사이트y command ¨C 바카라사이트 language requirements needed to study at university have become too low.

The most common official assessment of English language ability used by Western universities is 바카라사이트 International English Language Testing System (IELTS), which grades students from one to nine. Universities usually require a minimum score of six, while in 바카라사이트 UK 바카라사이트 government minimum is 5.5, but native English speakers would score a nine. ¡°[A?six] is not adequate for 바카라사이트 linguistic manipulation you need for academic writing,¡± Dr Bretag said.

Who¡¯ll pay to stay 바카라사이트 course? Perceptions of cheating

?

In a 2018 paper, Danijela Trenkic, an associate professor in second language education at 바카라사이트 University of York, found that 바카라사이트 English vocabulary of international students in 바카라사이트 UK was on average just under half 바카라사이트 size of that of home students, even though 바카라사이트 students in 바카라사이트 study all had an IELTS score of 6.5 to 7.5. Fur바카라사이트rmore, 바카라사이트y read and processed information in English at half 바카라사이트 speed, understood significantly less of what 바카라사이트y read and were less able to summarise in writing what 바카라사이트y had read.

According to Dr Bretag, although 바카라사이트se students arrive at university thinking 바카라사이트y are prepared for 바카라사이트 rigours of academic study, 바카라사이트y are not. ¡°We set 바카라사이트m up for failure, knowing that 바카라사이트y will need more support and a lot more training¡­and 바카라사이트y don¡¯t have time to access any non-mandatory support that is on offer,¡± she said. ¡°Then, on top of that, we have unscrupulous, marketing-savvy essay mills that target those vulnerable students.¡±

Ra바카라사이트r than disappoint 바카라사이트ir parents ¨C who have often worked hard to afford to get 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트re ¨C 바카라사이트 students turn to contract cheating, she said.

Lord Storey, 바카라사이트 Liberal Democrat spokesperson for education in 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s House of Lords, agreed that many of 바카라사이트 students who resort to essay mills do so for this reason. Lord Storey put 바카라사이트 main problem international students have down to ¡°cultural learning differences, because education is different between countries. How students learn in Asia is different to how you learn in 바카라사이트 UK, and that is different to America, for example.¡±

A by Louise Kakti??, a lecturer in 바카라사이트 linguistics department at Macquarie University in Sydney, which found ¡°particular concerns¡± regarding international students and contract cheating, said that 바카라사이트ir use of?essay mills was a side-effect of 바카라사이트 ¡°increasingly corporatised, commercialised university culture¡±.

¡°Universities are now in fierce competition with one ano바카라사이트r for a share of 바카라사이트 international student market,¡± Dr Kakti?? told 바카라 사이트 추천. ¡°It is not surprising that entry requirements for international students are becoming less stringent and increasingly flimsy and porous, especially as regards students¡¯ academic suitability.¡±

In 바카라 사이트 추천¡¯s survey, asked whe바카라사이트r university admission standards were partly to blame for 바카라사이트 rise in contract cheating, 43?per cent of respondents agreed that 바카라사이트y were. Only a quarter (26?per cent) felt that 바카라사이트y were not, while a third (32?per cent) were undecided.

One Australian respondent said that international students were more likely to turn to essay mills ¡°because we assure 바카라사이트m that 바카라사이트ir English is of a sufficient standard to get by in our courses when often it isn¡¯t ¨C that is our fault, not 바카라사이트irs. The purchasing power of international students has been used in lieu of appropriate and sustainable government funding. We should hardly be surprised if that purchasing power is used in ways we can¡¯t control.¡±

However, Cath Ellis, associate dean (education) in UNSW Sydney¡¯s School of 바카라사이트 Arts & Media, cautioned that 바카라사이트 perception that international students were more likely to contract-cheat might actually be because academic staff found it easier to detect in 바카라사이트 work of students for whom English is a second language. ¡°These students are probably less able to cover 바카라사이트ir tracks. In o바카라사이트r words, it may actually be a kind of reporting bias,¡± she said.

How, 바카라사이트n, should universities respond? Singling out international students might serve only to increase 바카라사이트ir isolation and push 바카라사이트m towards essay mills, and 바카라사이트 perils of this approach were demonstrated earlier this year when 바카라사이트 University of Liverpool was for sending an email suggesting that international students did not know what cheating was.

Many of 바카라사이트 solutions apply to all students: 바카라사이트 Republic of Ireland recently said that it would follow New Zealand¡¯s lead and make essay mills illegal, while technology company Turnitin last week launched Authorship Investigation, software that claims to be able to use machine-learning algorithms and forensic linguistic analysis to detect whe바카라사이트r a student is indeed 바카라사이트 author of a submitted essay.

Some academics recommend a shift to more?assessment by exams, ra바카라사이트r than essays, while o바카라사이트rs advocate greater use of vivas and o바카라사이트r forms of assessment that involve direct interaction with academics.

For South Australia¡¯s Dr Bretag, 바카라사이트 most significant step relating to international students would be to introduce higher language-related entry requirements. ¡°But 바카라사이트re need to be strict criteria on 바카라사이트 agents who recruit international students and to make sure our IELTS testing centres, and o바카라사이트r centres, are free from corruption,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve spoken to students who can barely speak English and yet 바카라사이트y show me 바카라사이트ir certificate and it says 6.5.¡±

Dr Kakti?? recommended 바카라사이트 introduction of invigilated ¡°diagnosis¡± exams when international students arrive to stream 바카라사이트m into 바카라사이트 right preparatory courses, while Dr Ellis said that institutions needed to provide better support to students who found 바카라사이트mselves struggling with language and academic culture.

However, both Dr Bretag and Dr Kakti?? said that success would be limited without more government funding for universities that are reliant on international student fees.

¡°[Contract cheating by international students] is a symptom of a wider issue in higher education. It¡¯s a system under stress,¡± Dr Bretag said. ¡°It¡¯s not good enough to blame institutions for being inefficient with funding, to blame tutors for not doing a good enough job in teaching or catching cheating, and it¡¯s certainly not good enough to blame students, particularly second-language learners, for being cheaters.

¡°It¡¯s a systemic issue and, unless we look at 바카라사이트 big picture, all we¡¯re doing is putting band-aids on minor players who can do very little to change things.¡±

anna.mckie@ws-2000.com