Saudi University EFL Students' Understanding of Plagiarism: Perceived Knowledge, Recognition Patterns, and Conceptual Ambiguity in Academic Writing.
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| Title: | Saudi University EFL Students' Understanding of Plagiarism: Perceived Knowledge, Recognition Patterns, and Conceptual Ambiguity in Academic Writing. |
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| 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 |
| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 193700235 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Saudi University EFL Students' Understanding of Plagiarism: Perceived Knowledge, Recognition Patterns, and Conceptual Ambiguity in Academic Writing. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Alhodithi%2C+Nawal+I%2E%22">Alhodithi, Nawal I.</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo><i> Nalhdithi@kku.edu.sa</i> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Language+Teaching+%26+Research%22">Journal of Language Teaching & Research</searchLink>. May2026, Vol. 17 Issue 3, p978-987. 10p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Plagiarism%22">Plagiarism</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22English+as+a+foreign+language%22">English as a foreign language</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Academic+discourse%22">Academic discourse</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Saudi+Arabians%22">Saudi Arabians</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Self-perception%22">Self-perception</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Paraphrase%22">Paraphrase</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: 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] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>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.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=193700235 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.17507/jltr.1703.22 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 10 StartPage: 978 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Plagiarism Type: general – SubjectFull: English as a foreign language Type: general – SubjectFull: Academic discourse Type: general – SubjectFull: Saudi Arabians Type: general – SubjectFull: Self-perception Type: general – SubjectFull: Paraphrase Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Saudi University EFL Students' Understanding of Plagiarism: Perceived Knowledge, Recognition Patterns, and Conceptual Ambiguity in Academic Writing. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Alhodithi, Nawal I. IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 05 Text: May2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 17984769 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 17 – Type: issue Value: 3 Titles: – TitleFull: Journal of Language Teaching & Research Type: main |
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