Saudi University EFL Students' Understanding of Plagiarism: Perceived Knowledge, Recognition Patterns, and Conceptual Ambiguity in Academic Writing.

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Title:	Saudi University EFL Students' Understanding of Plagiarism: Perceived Knowledge, Recognition Patterns, and Conceptual Ambiguity in Academic Writing.
Authors:	Alhodithi, Nawal I.¹ Nalhdithi@kku.edu.sa
Source:	Journal of Language Teaching & Research. May2026, Vol. 17 Issue 3, p978-987. 10p.
Subject Terms:	Plagiarism, English as a foreign language, *Academic discourse, Saudi Arabians, Self-perception, Paraphrase
Abstract:	This study examines Saudi university EFL students' understanding of plagiarism as a component of academic writing competence, with a focus on the relationship between perceived knowledge and actual recognition of plagiarism in common writing scenarios. Using a questionnaire adapted from Chu et al. (2020), 154 Saudi undergraduates enrolled in Research Writing at King Khalid University during the academic year 2024 responded to Likert-scale items measuring self-perceived understanding and scenario-based items assessing plagiarism recognition. Results revealed a notable discrepancy between confidence and competence. While a majority of students reported knowing how to avoid plagiarism (M = 3.75, SD = 1.01), their ability to identify plagiarism varied substantially across practices. High recognition rates were observed for explicit violations such as copying without citation (88.3%), but recognition declined sharply for practices requiring interpretive judgment, including paraphrasing without citation (53.2%) and AI-generated text submission (53.9%). Self-plagiarism (16.9%) and use of teacher-provided ideas without citation (18.2%) were largely unrecognized. These findings align with cross-cultural EFL research demonstrating that plagiarism understanding involves developmental and instructional dimensions beyond mere policy awareness. The study argues for integrating explicit, scenario-based plagiarism instruction into academic writing pedagogy to support EFL students in developing nuanced understandings of source use, attribution, and authorship in higher education contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
	Copyright of Journal of Language Teaching & Research is the property of Academy Publication Co., LTD and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database:	Education Research Complete

Description
Abstract:	This study examines Saudi university EFL students' understanding of plagiarism as a component of academic writing competence, with a focus on the relationship between perceived knowledge and actual recognition of plagiarism in common writing scenarios. Using a questionnaire adapted from Chu et al. (2020), 154 Saudi undergraduates enrolled in Research Writing at King Khalid University during the academic year 2024 responded to Likert-scale items measuring self-perceived understanding and scenario-based items assessing plagiarism recognition. Results revealed a notable discrepancy between confidence and competence. While a majority of students reported knowing how to avoid plagiarism (M = 3.75, SD = 1.01), their ability to identify plagiarism varied substantially across practices. High recognition rates were observed for explicit violations such as copying without citation (88.3%), but recognition declined sharply for practices requiring interpretive judgment, including paraphrasing without citation (53.2%) and AI-generated text submission (53.9%). Self-plagiarism (16.9%) and use of teacher-provided ideas without citation (18.2%) were largely unrecognized. These findings align with cross-cultural EFL research demonstrating that plagiarism understanding involves developmental and instructional dimensions beyond mere policy awareness. The study argues for integrating explicit, scenario-based plagiarism instruction into academic writing pedagogy to support EFL students in developing nuanced understandings of source use, attribution, and authorship in higher education contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	17984769
DOI:	10.17507/jltr.1703.22