PERCEPTIONS OF ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AMONG OVERSEAS POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS IN THE UK

A plethora of publications have dealt with academic integrity as an issue for overseas postgraduate students especially in the US and the UK and Australia. The present study is based on a questionnaire distributed anonymously among primarily Chinese, as well as Middle East students at the end of a six-week pre-sessional course in English for Academic Purposes at a UK university. The aim is to elicit a multitude of factors, including cultural background, educational systems in their home countries, personal values, and the academic environment they encounter in the UK, which define students’ understanding of academic integrity before they embark on their postgraduate studies. The results demonstrate, first, that the comprehensive course they have just finished has changed their understanding of what constitutes academic integrity. Secondly, however, it becomes clear that despite the explicit instruction given during the course and the practical tasks ensuring first-hand experience, there are still partial or wrong assumptions of some aspects of academic integrity as it is understood in the Western world. Finally, the subjects seem to be aware of the latter fact and express a definite need for UK universities to implement a multi-faceted approach including programs, ongoing education about academic integrity expectations, and fostering a supportive academic community that encourages ethical behavior.