A Search for a Common Thread: Iranian, Afghan, and Tajik EFL Students' Perceptions of Academic Misconduct

Abstract

The paucity of studies on plagiarism in some under-explored contexts, such as Afghanistan and Tajikistan, highlight the necessity of conducting this study. To this end, 200 Iranian, 185 Afghan, and 170 Tajik EFL students, who share certain commonalities regarding culture and language, participated in the study. The iThenticate (2013) questionnaire and two essay-type questions on the main reasons for committing plagiarism and possible ways to cope with it were employed to examine the participants’ perceptions toward it. Findings revealed that the participants from these three countries shared the same ideas regarding the most common and serious forms of plagiarism. It was also found that overalllack of knowledge about plagiarism, absence of severe punishment, and ease of plagiarizing was among the most important reason for committing plagiarism. The study proposed “raising students’ awareness of plagiarism and its consequences” and “establishment of severe punishment” as the best possible ways to cope with it.