Preliminary+Data

Data from Pilot Study at Bloomsburg University

//738 student have experienced// //an interactive// //presentation and responded to a post-presentation survey at BU. Following the presentation, they were asked to respond on a Likert scale (Strongly Agree, Mostly Agree, Somewhat Agree, Disagree) to several statements about previous beliefs and practices when writing with sources and about their feelings about efforts to prepare them. (Actually, more than 1,000 students have experienced the presentation, but I am no longer collecting data for this pilot. Informal responses to continued presentations seem highly similar to data collected so far.)//


 * Fresh. /Soph / Jr. /| Sr. / Grad. Stu./ Total Responses || 292 || 106 || 144 || 87 || 109 ||  || 738 ||
 * || 40% || 14% || 20% || 12% || 15% ||  ||

Responses to Statement #3: "I have been accidentally plagiarizing to this point in my career."
//Statement 3 on the pilot survey is similar to question 5, but the language is more direct. Whereas statement 5 asks students whether or not they knew how to avoid misusing sources, question 3 asks them to report (anonymously) of themselves that they have actually plagiarized. As with the responses to statement 5, there seems to be little or no improvement as students advance.//


 * Fresh. || Strongly Agree || Mostly Agree || Somewhat Agree || Disagree ||  || Total Responses ||
 * ^  || 42 || 75 || 154 || 19 ||   || 290 ||
 * ^  || 14% || 26% || 53% || 7% ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||| 40% (Strongly or Mostly) ||   ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||||| 93% (At least Somewhat) ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * Soph. || 6 || 33 || 58 || 9 ||  || 106 ||
 * ^  || 6% || 31% || 55% || 8% ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||| 37% (Strongly or Mostly) ||   ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||||| 92% (At least Somewhat) ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * Jr. || 21 || 38 || 72 || 12 ||  || 143 ||
 * ^  || 15% || 27% || 50% || 8% ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||| 41% (Strongly or Mostly) ||   ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||||| 92% (At least Somewhat) ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * Sr. || 14 || 22 || 42 || 9 ||  || 87 ||
 * ^  || 16% || 25% || 48% || 10% ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||| 41% (Strongly or Mostly) ||   ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||||| 90% (At least Somewhat) ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * Grad || 7 || 29 || 55 || 18 ||  || 109 ||
 * ^  || 6% || 27% || 50% || 17% ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||| 33% (Strongly or Mostly) ||   ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||||| 83% (At least Somewhat) ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * Total || 90 || 197 || 381 || 67 ||  || 735 ||
 * ^  || 12% || 27% || 52% || 9% ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||| 39% (Strongly or Mostly) ||   ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||||| 91% (At least Somewhat) ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||||| 91% (At least Somewhat) ||   ||^   ||^   ||

Responses to Statement 5:"I have been taught not to plagiarize, and I had believed that I was not misusing sources, but now I believe that I did not really understand how to avoid it."
//It is clear, in conducting the presentation, that most students are surprised to learn that the patchwriting they have done to this point does not meet faculty expectations of paraphrase. Instead, it represents what the CWPA terms "misuse of sources" and what faculty typically call "plagiarism" or "inadvertent plagiarism." What I find most striking is that at BU, students do not seem to improve their understanding of paraphrase as the advance.//


 * Fresh. || Strongly Agree || Mostly Agree || Somewhat Agree || Disagree ||  || Total Responses ||
 * ^  || 59 || 120 || 95 || 18 ||   || 292 ||
 * ^  || 20% || 41% || 33% || 6% ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||| 61% (Strongly or Mostly) ||   ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||||| 94% (At least Somewhat) ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * Soph. || 13 || 44 || 41 || 8 ||  || 106 ||
 * ^  || 12% || 42% || 39% || 8% ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||| 54% (Strongly or Mostly) ||   ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||||| 92% (At least Somewhat) ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * Jr. || 20 || 65 || 45 || 13 ||  || 143 ||
 * ^  || 14% || 45% || 31% || 9% ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||| 59% (Strongly or Mostly) ||   ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||||| 91% (At least Somewhat) ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * Sr. || 22 || 30 || 25 || 10 ||  || 87 ||
 * ^  || 25% || 34% || 29% || 11% ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||| 60% (Strongly or Mostly) ||   ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||||| 89% (At least Somewhat) ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * Grad || 16 || 39 || 38 || 16 ||  || 109 ||
 * ^  || 15% || 36% || 35% || 15% ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||| 50% (Strongly or Mostly) ||   ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||||| 85% (At least Somewhat) ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * Total || 130 || 298 || 244 || 65 ||  || 737 ||
 * ^  || 18% || 40% || 33% || 9% ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||| 58% (Strongly or Mostly) ||   ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||||| 91% (At least Somewhat) ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||||| 91% (At least Somewhat) ||   ||^   ||^   ||

Statement 4:"I do not think enough attention has been paid to helping me understand the difference between plagiarism and paraphrase."
//Statements 4 asked students to report on their feelings about the attempts that have been made to help them understand these concepts. What is interesting is that so many students feel that they should get more instruction in this area. I am certain that they have been told about "plagiarism," and some of the classrooms I've presented to dedicated time to teaching students how to work with sources. What students understandably believe is that if they were doing it wrong, somebody should have indicated so before now. Unfortunately, because of the restrictions under which most faculty find themselves responding to student writing, this approach is highly unreliable.//


 * Fresh. || Strongly Agree || Mostly Agree || Somewhat Agree || Disagree ||  || Total Responses ||
 * ^  || 91 || 102 || 70 || 28 ||   || 291 ||
 * ^  || 31% || 35% || 24% || 10% ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||| 66% (Strongly or Mostly) ||   ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||||| 90% (At least Somewhat) ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * Soph. || 31 || 39 || 26 || 10 ||  || 106 ||
 * ^  || 29% || 37% || 25% || 9% ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||| 66% (Strongly or Mostly) ||   ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||||| 91% (At least Somewhat) ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * Jr. || 38 || 63 || 30 || 13 ||  || 144 ||
 * ^  || 26% || 44% || 21% || 9% ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||| 70% (Strongly or Mostly) ||   ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||||| 91% (At least Somewhat) ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * Sr. || 32 || 30 || 17 || 7 ||  || 86 ||
 * ^  || 37% || 35% || 20% || 8% ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||| 72% (Strongly or Mostly) ||   ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||||| 92% (At least Somewhat) ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * Grad || 42 || 36 || 20 || 11 ||  || 109 ||
 * ^  || 39% || 33% || 18% || 10% ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||| 72% (Strongly or Mostly) ||   ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||||| 90% (At least Somewhat) ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * Total || 234 || 270 || 163 || 69 ||  || 736 ||
 * ^  || 32% || 37% || 22% || 9% ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||| 68% (Strongly or Mostly) ||   ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||||| 91% (At least Somewhat) ||   ||^   ||^   ||
 * ^  |||||| 91% (At least Somewhat) ||   ||^   ||^   ||