Bibliography 101

When you have already spent several days writing and polishing your essay, the sad fact is that there is one last thing to do before you turn it in: That is the Bibliography. This is a list of all works, documents, reports and data sources that you have you have in some way used to write your report. Traditionally, the information shown in a bibliography follows a traditional format:

Author – Title – Publisher – Date

Alexander Carlyle, From Calvary to Armored Warfare, Historians Associated Press, 1995
Of course, the exact requirements for a bibliography can vary between assignments, and of course, between different professors and programs of study. Some wish to list the author’s surname followed by their first name:

Surname, First name - Title - Publisher - Date

Carlyle, Alexander, From Calvary to Armored Warfare, Historians Associated Press, 1995
However, if you are following the Harvard citation system, sometimes referred to as the Author-date system, your bibliography references will appear in the following format:

Surname, Initial of First Name - Date- Title - Publisher -

Carlyle, A., (1995), From Calvary to Armored Warfare, Historians Associated Press.
Please note that the titles of the book are always in italics. This is to allow anyone scanning through your bibliography to find the titles of whatever resources you have employed in writing your essay. Because you list the author’s Surname first, your bibliography will you’re your sources alphabetically using their surnames instead of their first names.

If you are using a “Standard text,” give the name of the editor (ed) first as shown below:

Editor - Title - Publisher - Date

Alexander Carlyle (ed), From Calvary to Armored Warfare, Historians Associated Press, 1995

Remember to list your bibliography in alphabetical order following the Surnames of the authors and editors, and above all else, remember to cite sources that you have used. Listing sources that you did not work gives the impression that you are trying to get credit for work not done. It can sometimes seem as if you your footnotes or endnotes contain identical information. Do not worry about this similarity because they have two completely different functions.

Summarizing: Less is more

Summaries generally appear in one of two forms: Spoken or written, and most will tell you that the written summary is a great deal more difficult. A written summary is exactly what it sounds like: It is a short version of an often longer and original work that will explain the principal idea and arguments of its original. Writing summaries is about testing your ability to take any given document and rewrite a shorter version of it in your own words that must be (for academic purposes) 10% the length of the original.

Just like essay writing, writing summaries can be a time consuming process when you start but as you get better, you will also get faster and you will also find it easier to meet what will first seem like an impossible word count (that 10%). However, summarizing is akin to essay writing. Think of it as the writing of a very short essay, written using a single source article. However, before you can build speed, you must first understand the process:

Start by reading the original once, fast. You just need to understand the main subject and purpose. Keep a pencil or highlighter hand to underline the main point of the article. Now read it again, slower this time and try to catch the major details and relevant information. Normally, you will find one issue, fact or argument in each paragraph in the topic sentence of each one.

Your research and planning is already complete, because you have highlighted all the key points that need to go in to a summary, you now have to write the summary, which will normally be one paragraph that summarizes the source article both accurately and concisely. Above all else, remember that the summary you write be a piece of original work that uses your own words in its entirety, unless of course, there is something of profound importance that you feel must be quoted.

Now, try summarizing this article.

Examining Impact and Students Perception of Peer Feedback

Problem Statement

The problem addressed in the proposed study is that students are struggling to receive feedback from their instructors and trying to find another approach to get immediate feedback. Several reasons contribute to this problem, whether the limited time, the number of students in each class or the instructors’ busy schedule. Reluctance to implement problem-based learning in the classroom deprives students of access to an effective teaching strategy that would not only benefit them in their immediate academic performance, but also provide them with the opportunity to master information feedback skills that would be essential to their success in the professional forum .There is no doubt that the use of peer feedback as an instructional strategy greatly impacts the learning and achievement of students positively. However, students are struggling to receive feedback from their instructors which in turn influence their learning. An examination of previous research and literature review was conducted to see if another approach is available to students when they are seeking immediate feedback. Researchers had addressed this problem in several studies. Meyer (2003) stated that limited time makes students compete to demonstrate knowledge to their teacher “to get their share of air time” which does not give them time for reflective feedback or deeper discussion. Hew and Cheung (2003) discussed that time has a major role in the limited feedback because the teacher is controlling most of the class time. Additionally, students’ personalities play a role in limited feedback because some

Some students may be too shy to speak up, a situation that prevents them from receiving or even offering feedback. Students are seeking constructive, timely, and high quality feedback and this cannot be done unless the instructors sacrifice other important responsibilities. This reduces the process of feedback and affect students’ progress (Robin, 2006). Other factors such as the number of students in each course not only reduce the process of giving feedback but makes instructors reduce the number of assignments further limiting feedback (Miao, 2006). The extent of this problem goes beyond traditional classes to online learning.  Students are receiving feedback at the beginning of the course and then the process of feedback decreases during the progress of the course (Graham et al., 2001). Indeed, the feedback component in teacher-student communication processes guides students to what they should or should not do during their education and without it students will be frustrated. The effects of the lack of feedback on students are substantial and can be devastating to students. This fact leads to the belief that there would be major benefits to solving this problem. Ertmer et al. (2007) stated that using peer feedback can reduce the instructors’ workload and students will still receive the needed feedback that helps them in the progress of their learning. Researchers stated that with peer feedback students can develop their cognitive skills and at the same time become more independent (McConnell, 2002; Liu, 2001). Furthermore, students will have different resources of feedback that provide more benefits to their learning and it can be used in addition to the teachers’ feedback (Miao, 2006). In a study for implementing peer feedback, Robin (2006) found that both instructors and students benefit from this process. Students used peer feedback to improve their projects and instructors have multiple feedback resources that give more depth to the process of feedback. Since this study is open to the fact that students are struggling to receive high quality and immediate feedback from their instructors, the goal will be to provide students with another way to help them get the needed feedback that assesses their learning and examines its impact and value from students’ perception.

Inquiry into pedagogical theory suggests that all persons have unique strategies that they apply to the acquisition and processing of material (Allen, 2004; Schlemmer & Bratsch, 2007). However, the prevalence of teacher-centered curriculums in schools makes the assumptions set by the pedagogical theory unrealistic. Teacher-centered learning refers to learning that is directed by the teacher, with the teacher as the focus of the classroom. Consequently, teacher-centered curriculum propagates arbitrary determination of lesson plans and learning materials on strict guidelines outlined in school syllabuses without adopting learning improvement strategies that support learner satisfaction in terms of understanding and adopting new concepts (Driscoll 2005). By so doing, teachers effectively employ a theoretical model whereby, students are simply guided through the recommended formulas and concepts for solving educational problems, with little regard to the final outcome of a teaching session. Such a theoretical model is ineffective because it lacks the flexibility of taking into account the input of students in the collection, synthesis, and analysis of data and information from multiple sources. Driscoll (2005) was emphatic that “theoretical teaching model undermines interaction among students in the one hand and interaction between teachers and students on the other, in solving educational problems in class” (p.391). The research therefore focuses on the need for teachers to develop collaborative strategies with students to bolster conceptual understanding through varied viewpoints and approaches to solving educational problems.

The relevant theoretical concepts addressed by the research problem include Garner’s theories of multiple intelligence; the principles of behaviorist, cognitivist, and constructivist learning, problem-based learning; and an assessment of information technologies and problem-based learning (Allen, 2004). The literature review incorporates information from academic publications and peer-reviewed journals. The topics that are addressed in the study include an overview of the current educational environment found within public schools and how instructional strategy functions within this environment. The impact of instructional strategies on the academic achievements of students will form the basis of emphasis on the significance of the research study and its relevance to problems experienced within the education system. Barell’s (2006) Problem-based Learning: An Inquiry Approach presents a good starting point for familiarizing with the basics of problem-based approaches to learning such as peer feedback instructional strategies. Barell (2006) noted that problem-based learning “resolves questions, curiosities, doubts, and uncertainties about complex phenomena” and that it is especially relevant for schools as it helps give students a more comprehensive learning experience (p. 3). Similarly, Allen’s (2004) Tools for Teaching Content Literacy introduces several important arguments concerning how students learn and why a “one size fits all” instructional strategy is inappropriate for schools and institutions of higher learning (p. 5). Allen (2004) noted that different people have different approaches towards information gathering and information acquisition and those students who do not respond well to teacher-directed instructional strategy have traditionally suffered in terms of academic performance in schools. The acquisition and comprehension of information can be enhanced through initiating feedback mechanisms into the preferred instructional strategy. Indeed, many educational institutions are seeking to improve student performance through investing in alternative instructional strategies (Allen, 2004). In online leaning and distance education programs, for example, peer feedback strategies have helped students to develop improved mastery of conceptual relationships and provide practical setting through which students get to develop comprehensive understanding of the materials that are introduced to them via traditional teacher-directed instructional strategies (Barell, 2006). The literature review confirms that students respond positively to peer feedback learning strategies, with particular emphasis to interactive instructional strategies.

Purpose of the Study
The purpose of the proposed study is to examine the effectiveness of peer feedback and students’ perception of giving and receiving peer feedback for graduate students in institutions of higher learning.

Research Question
The following questions will be used to guide this study:
1.    How is peer feedback an effective strategy for graduate students in providing them with high quality and immediate feedback?
2.    Why is peer feedback process considered to be of value to students?
3.    Why are there significant differences in student perceptions on the effectiveness of peer feedback as compared to their perceptions on the effectiveness of teacher-centered curriculum?

Variables

Peer feedback represents the independent variable. The term peer feedback refers to the response that a student’s writing, assignment, or inquiry may generate from other students. Driscoll (2005) defines a peer as a colleague with whom one shares the professional or status platform. Feedback on the other hand refers to response generated by a presentation, inquiry or suggestion (Driscoll, 2005). Peer feedback is generated through sharing assignments or posting inquiries and comments in online communities. Peer feedback is different from teacher-feedback in that the later relies on one channel link between the teacher and the student while the former is based on multiple response channels among a group of students.
Student perception represents the dependent variable. With regards to this research, perception refers to the interpretation and organization of sensation in the production of meaningful experiences in the epistemological environment (Driscoll, 2005). To this end, perception serves as the stimulation and organizing tool for inquiries into the field of knowledge.   

Significance of the Study

Based upon the present research reviewed it is known that students are seeking another approach to get constructive feedback and studies have shown that peer feedback is a good instructional strategy that helps both students and instructors (Ertmer et al., 2007). Instructional strategy is a fundamental component of curriculum development and planning in educational programs. Instructional strategy refers to the approach taken by the educator to impart or communicate information to the students. Some types of instructional strategies appear to be well-suited to the curriculum and methods that are used within public schools, especially teacher-directed or teacher-centered learning. In public education, teacher-directed learning refers to the teacher-to-student relationship that is established within the classroom in which the teacher states information through lectures or lesson plans and students acquires this information in the same form as it was initially imparted by the teacher. While teacher-directed learning is widely used in educational institutions as the dominant instructional strategy, the reasons for its use are found rather in its feasibility than in its effectiveness (Schlemmer et al., 2007). The unavailability of adequate resources in institutions of higher learning in particular imposes limitations on the type of teaching strategies that can be applied, (Allen, 2004).  Moreover, the prevalence of teacher-directed learning ensures that the teachers themselves receive instruction in this particular type of instructional strategy and that they are prepared to use it in the schools. It is necessary to demonstrate that peer feedback processes have the potential of improving the overall educational experience of graduate students and that its applications are not limited to the classroom setting. The study will therefore enhance the understanding that peer feedback enriches students’ classroom experiences and improves their comprehension of the subject matter.  

Research Methodology


The research methodology will adopt a descriptive research involving observations, surveys and interviews, statistical data collection and sampling without attempts to affect the normal prevailing behavior. The research will apply random sampling because the research will be based on a representative sample of a large population – students and teachers in higher education institutions. Quantitative analyses of peer feedback data will be needed for testing the hypothesis and determining the coefficients representing the relative significance of peer feedback instructional strategies.

Research Design

The study will use the descriptive survey research design since it seeks to explain a given or particular solution. According to Gall & Borg (2005) descriptive survey research involves describing, recording, analyzing and interpreting conditions that exist. Further, it involves some type of contrast or comparison and attempts to discover relationships between existing non manipulated variables. The proposed study will be conducted in institutions of higher learning as well as in student online communities educational portals.
  
Target Population

The target population will be students from 11 institutions of higher education and student online communities. Out of the 11 targeted institutions, seven will be physical institutions of higher learning while four will be student online communities. 

Sampling Techniques

The number of institutions of higher education and student online communities is very large. To be able to get a sample that would be representative, proportion stratified sampling procedure will be employed to seven physical institutions of higher learning while four student online communities. The reason for choosing this method is to gurantee proportional representation of pstudents from the two sub-groups.

Sample Size

Out of the total target population 0f 3,100 students, 310 students from 11 institutions of higher education and student online communities will be used in the sample. This will represent 10% of the target population. According to Gall & Borg (2005) the minimum acceptable sample for a survey is 10%. Out of the 310 students sampled, only 10% will be used in the observation sample. Only those who confirm positive perceptions to peer feedback processes will be observed. 
   
Research Instruments

The study will employ two instruments: (1) questionnaires and interviews for students and (2) an observation schedule. Gall & Borg (2005) described a questionnaire as an inquiry tool used to collect factual information. It is a data collecting instrument in which respondents answer  a statement in writing. The student questionnaires as highlighted in appendix 1 will capture the following: students awareness and responsiveness to  peer feedback; and learning instruments and material aids preferred by students. Permission will be sought from the Depratment of Education to carry out the research. The questionnaires will be self administred through emails by the researcher to the 310 respondents. The instructions will be that the respondent completes the questionniare within five days and then email back the completed questionnaire to the reseacher.

Observation Schedule

An observation schedule will be developed to obtain information on student perception on peer feedback as an instructional strategy in institutions of higher learning. The researcher will be able to observe the major compenents of student perceptions thorugh daily reporting data sheets for a period of 14 days. The assesment of student perceptions to peer feedback will take into account the subject specific requriments of different students undertaking different courses. Purposive sampling techinique will be applied to select 31 students demonstrating positive perceptions towards peer feedback processes.

Pilot Study

Gall & Borg (2005) define pilot study as a study conducted prior to the major research study for the purpose of gaining additional information by which the main study can be improved. The research instrument will be piloted in one instituition of higher learning which will be purposively selected due to cost and time factor. This institution will not from part of the main study. Necessary revisions and modifications will then be undertaken.

Validity and Reliability

According to Gall & Borg (2005) validity is the degree by whch the sample of test items measures the content designed to be measured. The instruments will be evaluated for their content validity. The questionnaire contents will be read and examined to evaluate the clarity items. Gall & Borg (2005) argue that content validity is a matter of judgement by professionals. The researcher will establish validity by seeking expert judgement from the supervisors while developing and revising research instruments. According to Gall & Borg (2005)  reliability is the degree to which a test consistently measures whatever it measures. The more reliable a test is, the more confidence one can have that the scores obtained from the administration of the administration of the test is administered. The test technique will be used to asses the reliability of the instruments.

Limitations

The general applicability of the research findings stands out as the main threat to the external validity of the research project because of the existence of wide ranging differences in instructional strategies in different institutions of higher learning. The internal validity will be threatened by the accuracy of the research results. Therefore, a standard margin error of 0.05 will be applied because the research is based on the assumptions that the population is infinitely large and the application of simple random sampling techniques will require minimized error to maintain high reliability levels of the research. In addition, the short duration of this study is considered to be second major limitation. Replication of this study with variations of individuals, settings and with longer period can increase the external validity of this study (Gall et al., 2005). The researcher will seek to overcome this limitation through the use of observation schedule as a complimentary to surveys and interviews as well as incorporate extensive research from existing publications. The third limitations in the context of this research are factors which may prevent persons from participating or responding accurately to the survey questions. For example, participants may find the survey questions to be too personal and therefore decline to participate. The researcher will overcome this limitation by requesting the respondents not to write their names on the questionnaire and assuring them of their privacy.

Cultural Ethnography

Diversity is now becoming a key concern within classrooms nowadays due to the diverging and increasing changes happening in society. Seeing this, there is an increasing responsibility among educators to consistently align with these trends and come with values that can facilitate and further new perspectives to embrace this reality. These goes hand-in-hand with the way culture has shaped the way people perceive reality and what actions have been made to address these things. With the challenges of today’s society, there remains a relevant aspect in honing and generating inputs towards adherence to diversity and multiculturalism happening in the classroom. Thus, it is by creating these new inputs and fostering dynamics towards increased interaction, it can help provide greater competency and capacity for schools to administer an educational environment that is encompassing and facilitative towards the needs of all regardless of variations in culture, beliefs, religion and race.

Ethnographic Observations
    Having the capacity to watch films such as (1) Dead Poets Society, (2) Freedom Writers, and (3) Take the Lead, common perspectives related to education, diversity, and culture can be deduced. Though each one may have a corresponding theme that is rather different from the other two, these three movies possess the same characteristics and perspectives as it tackles key issues relating to multicultural education, status quo, and its relationship with facets associated with culture such as roles, norms, perceptions, and values.

    Reflecting on the film Dead Poets Society, it can be seen that the main idea supplied by the director and writers revolve around the idea of transcendence and growth from the common perception of what is right or wrong. Here, it challenges the nature of the status quo and seeks to justify individualism, freedom, and equality. Despite the current institutional obstacles to achieving this objective, John Keating remained beneficial in instilling these characteristics among his students as they tread the path of life knowing that they can become and aspire whatever they want to be without the hindrances of social customs and traditions as long as it is in the right path.

    Another essential observation made about this film is its relatively revolutionary approach to change. It presents numerous symbols and metaphors used by the characters to implicitly induce the idea of how man can aspire to overcome obstacles that they deem not fit anymore at the present time. It is this rather radical standpoint that made its mark among viewers within the story. It is the ability of John Keating to instill the ability to exercise freedom amidst social standards remains a key issue within the educational sector today.

    The same observation can be seen with the film ‘Freedom Writers’. It revolves around the plight of one educator to make a difference in a class that is believed to be ‘hopeless’ and relatively considered deviant in American education. Here, one key observation that is made revolves around how the American educational sector only perceives to provide a sub-standard approach among those who are failing. This then poses a question of prejudice and biased view among those who can gain access to these accordingly.

    However, the character of Erin Gruwell to stand up against all odds made the big difference in the story. The cultural assumptions presented in the story constitute an attempt to bridge in the gaps that are happening between the rich and the majority of the school population. It presents an educational philosophy that is centered on giving each student the ability to capitalize on their capacity to learn and seek out the motivation for doing so. In addition, there are also the corresponding symbols that actively denote the capacity to induce changes. Thus, it sought to highlight how minorities (Hispanics, African Americans, and Asians) can all become the necessary determinants for change.

    The last one involves the ability of Pierre Dulaine to see the ability of people regardless of the many negative labels society has imposed on them. This story is one indicator of how education regardless if it’s academic or the one that pertains to the arts can become an important determinant for building character. What matters in this situation revolves around the condition that continuously shapes the ability of the person to develop and learn accordingly. In addition, it reflects on the capacity of people to become susceptible towards common conditions associated with education. It becomes a question of capabilities, race, and social standing.

    Despite these realizations, Pierre Dulaine made efforts to showcase a leadership that is facilitative and adherent to student needs. He was able to use these as tools to further and generate key influences that transcended over common notions and boundaries of growth. It is by assuming that culture can become not a hindrance but an instrument in creating new inputs; he was able to generate renewed optimism that anything can be possible once there is the desire and motivation to learn. That is why Pierre Dulaine was able to go over the common misconceptions and perspectives about race and gender in the field of dance.
Analysis of Key Themes: Educational Leadership

    One theme that remains prevalent within this sector involves the application and usage of educational leadership by each character in the film (Keating, Dulaine, Gruwell). The overall idea of educational leadership remains to be a key force in generating the necessary motivation and stimulus in transcending over conventional norms and seeking change. Seeing this, the idea of culture may remain to be prevalent in each film. However, it is by initiating and recognizing its impact and aligning them as an instrument for facilitation can become an effective counterpart in enacting change (Koppelman and Goodhart, 2005). Like the Dead Poets Society Club, the English individual journals, and night dance lessons, all these cannot be supplemented without the proper leadership and value towards each member.

    In addition, there is also the desire to become an instrument for overcoming the common notions and status quo. The idea of identifying each character’s educational leadership styles comes with the understanding that there needs to be change implemented within the educational sector. All of them share the same sentiment that to achieve this responsibility, they had to stand up and take the lead regardless challenges and obstacles along the way.

In trying to achieve this kind of educational leadership, careful considerations must be made in the current situation and environment and how it actively relates towards the educational sector and among the student population as well. For this endeavor to become fully maximized and becomes sporadic in its orientation, educators need to create and develop new strategies that can facilitate and harness new dimensions towards change. This can be done by infusing key leadership strategies and promoting perspectives that can create skills related to becoming dynamic and adaptive to current trends of the educational sector (Mellon, 2004).
Challenging the Status Quo, Social Institutions, and Norms

    Another key theme present within the three stories involves advocating the need to challenge the status quo, social institutions and norms in achieving the change that they desire. These elements becomes crucial because it opens up dynamics and instills new parameters in not only shaping policies and approaches relatively deviant to the current system but also in harnessing new inputs and reactions to the individuals (students) that it subjects to prejudice and discrimination.

    Likewise, this situation goes together with the idea of identifying what sectors needed to be improved. In every institution, there shall always be problems needed to be resolved. The challenge for each member to determine which one and what appropriate strategies can be made for it to become supplemental and adherent to the current situations happening in the environment (Wakefield et.al, 2003). Seeing this, for the avenue of change to become greatly manifested results in the capacity to infuse and adhere to ones capacity to become involved in the issue in-depth and respond to each of these challenges accordingly.

    Analyzing this situation, the three characters did indeed recognize that the predominantly conceived notion of reality remains rooted in prejudice and misconceptions about certain groups. However, the process of education and learning should not be that way. It must rather become responsible in shaping and influencing dynamics that are relatively equal for all (Mellon, 2004). Though culture may become an essential component for this, the idea of embracing cultural transformation and change resounds on the ability of the recognition and awareness that these changes actively correspond to the needs by all and not a few (Koppelman and Goodhart, 2005).
   
Due to this, the fundamental aspect of generating change revolves around the capacity of motivating and inducing the appropriate value for practice. In the educational field, it does not necessarily mean adherence to standards, rather it is the awareness of how to align these standards, ideologies, and practices to teaching (Wakefield et.al, 2003). It is the recognition of these parameters that makes the teaching encompass the usual standards and cultural biases. In turn, it permeates an approach that is highly responsible and accountable to the needs of individuals, the community, and society as a whole (Mellon, 2004).

    To conclude, identity and culture remains an essential part in facilitating educational goals. However, they can pose a challenge especially if it defeats the purpose of establishing the norms and values that it tries to promote. The observation and analysis made on the three films clearly indicate the presence of challenges and problems within the educational sector. Seeing this, there is a clear indication for the need to amend and infuse better ways to challenge and approach the current obstacles within the educational system. These would need a leadership strategy that both involves not only the ability to transcend over common notions and culture but also providing an alternative dynamic that can lead towards a practice that is responsible and adaptive towards the needs of the educational sector today.

Plagiarism in Academic Settings

Plagiarism in academic settings is a subject that is getting widespread attention, and for good reason. Being accused of plagiarism is a serious offense for a student, and where it occurs due to students not receiving insufficient information about what constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid it, it reflects badly on the student’s academic past. Learning to conduct independent research, analyze information critically and present one’s findings coherently are an essential aspect of higher education, and failing to learn this can reflect poorly on the education that a student has received.

Defining Plagiarism
Plagiarism is a serious offense that can be mistaken for simply “borrowing” of another’s ideas  (‘What is Plagiarism’); however, it fundamentally constitutes a theft of another’s thoughts, words and ideas. The GCU Tutorial on Plagiarism defines it as “the use of another person’s thoughts, ideas, words, quotations or phrases without showing proper acknowledgement of where the information came from” (GCU Tutorial). Plagiarism is thus the unlawful use of someone else’s work, without attributing or in any way acknowledging the original author. The definition of plagiarism does not have inherently a threshold of quantity, i.e. there is no difference in the level of offense whether the work copied is a phrase or an entire paper. The offense of plagiarism thus operates under a zero tolerance policy. This makes it even more important that students are vigilant whilst writing papers, and ensure that even inadvertently they do not use words or ideas of another without attributing them first.

Examples of Plagiarism
An example of plagiarism can be quoting a distinctive phrase from a book or article that provides a telling and pertinent description of the topic, without putting the phrase in quotation marks or attributing it. It may be assumed that the use of a phrase should not give rise to an offense of plagiarism, but it does.
Similarly, another example of plagiarism can be attributing an idea to a source, but to the wrong source. This can take place if the student, whilst taking notes, forgets to note which ideas or quotes can from which sources, and whilst writing up the paper, mistakenly assigns an idea to the incorrect source. It has also been suggested that if someone reads a text and then assimilates the information, and later produces it from memory, this could result in inadvertent plagiarism (Tenpenny et al, 1998). This can be avoided by taking meticulous notes to ensure that the correct author is attributed.

Another common reason for plagiarizing is that globally different norms exist regarding what constitutes plagiarism, what to cite and when, which can be confusing for international students studying in American universities. Gerry White addresses this issue in his article, where he cites the work by Cavaleri who describes how citing articles is considered disrespectful in Chinese society, as it presupposes that the work cannot be recognized by the reader and must thus be referenced (White, 2009). In certain other societies it is a common practice to not cite at all, or cite broadly, which might confuse students when presented with a diametrically opposite approach.

How to Avoid Plagiarism
    GCU’s tutorial illustrates three methods for avoiding plagiarism. The first is to summarize an author’s words, and cite the work from which the ideas are referenced (GCU Tutorial). This requires the reader to understand the central message of the work, and to reproduce it in their own words, whilst at the same time presenting only the salient information or the gist of the argument. The second method is to paraphrase the author’s words, by reproducing the content of the work in one’s own words. This is often used when arguments must be explained in great detail. The final method is to quote the words of the author directly, reproducing the exact text within quotation marks. Care must be taken whilst quoting another’s work to ensure that each syllable is reproduced accurately. Direct quotations are very useful when the “wording itself is memorable and succinct”, but should be used sparingly (GCU Tutorial).

Why Is Plagiarism Unethical?
Researching and writing a paper is arduous and takes effort; simply copying the hard work of another not only makes a mockery of their effort, but also constitutes a theft, even if that theft may appear invisible or victimless. Whilst it may be effortless to open up Internet Explorer and copy and paste paragraphs of someone else’s work into one’s own, the simplicity of the act belies the gravity of the offense. Not only is plagiarizing someone’s work reprehensible, it is also unethical to knowingly allow students to plagiarize or to provide inadequate punishments for those who have been caught committing plagiarizing, argues Matthew Woessner (Woessner, 2004).

Consequences of Plagiarism
The consequences of a student being caught plagiarizing can be severe – ranging from receiving no credit in that assignment to being suspended and even expelled from school. This can have a serious effect on the academic future of the student concerned. Plagiarizing also prevents students from learning their subject matter thoroughly, thus depriving them of the education that they expect from an institution of higher learning. Whilst a student may on a few occasions escape being detected, once caught, the consequences of not producing their own work can lead to heavy repercussions. It is thus advisable to always cite the ideas and words of other authors and ensure that the work submitted by a student is their own.

Human Diversity in Education

Diversity has always been a challenge for managers and people involved in both academic and corporate environments. Schools, colleges, and universities now cater to students, teachers and staff members coming from all sorts of backgrounds. People can be of different race, ethnicity, skin color, sexual orientation, age and gender. In educational settings, it is important for facilitators to understand how different people react to diversity around them. The Developmental Model of Intercultural sensitivity is a framework that outlines certain behavioral attributes that correspond to people’s reaction to cultural diversity. It consists of six stages; the first three are ethnocentric, which means that the person experiences strict ownership of one’s ethnicity and culture. The other three stages are ethno relative, which means that the person starts looking at his/her own culture from the other person’s point of view.

Ethnocentric stages
The first stage is denial. During this initial stage, the person might disregard any and all other cultures and ethnicities. A person at this stage refuses to recognize the existence and is completely disinterested in other cultures around them. They tend to be socially cut-off and isolated from any situations that involve people from other cultures and ethnicity. An example would be a particular student who avoids participating in the school’s play, sports teams, cultural events etc. just to stay away from cultural diversity. Continuous exposure and interaction with the diverse environment may be just enough to make a transition to the next phase which is defense. In this stage the person might see other cultures as insignificant as or lower in status than their own. In many instances, the individual might even show hostility or racism towards other cultures. For instance, a new exchange student might be admitted in to a school. The class he/she is admitted to might be predominantly local with little or no diversity. At first, the new student might have a hard time adjusting and settling in due to the local students looking down upon at the new exchange student. They might not sit with the new student, play with them, and share with them or even talk to them. In many cases, this might even lead to verbal insults, making fun of the newcomer or even violence. This behavior can be collective or individual as well.

In the minimization stage, the person regards his/her culture as universal. If confronted by any differences, the person thinks of them as unsuitable and odd and may even try to impose his/her own beliefs and forcefully match theirs with the other cultures. For example, physical contact between men and women is not suitable in some cultures like the Islamic. A Muslim girl who refuses to shake hands with a fellow American student might result in the American student being offended and insulted instead of realizing that she is just following her culture.

Ethnorelative stages
This portion starts off with Acceptance which is a stage when the person accepts his/her own culture as one of the many different cultures that exist. This may not always be positive but people in this stage are generally curious to know more about other cultures. A student at the acceptance stage will not have an ethnocentric attitude but will be respectful towards other cultures and might even try to find out more about his/her fellow students through research or even casual conversation.

After accepting the fact the world all around consists of different types of cultures, a person may transit into the adaptive stage. At this stage a student in a diverse environment might start looking at things from the perspective of different cultures. This invokes consideration and mental flexibility and makes the mind broad. The class of students that was once hostile and made fun of the new exchange student’s accent or attire might now realize that those are just different ways of doing the same thing and are perfectly acceptable just like their own ways. After adapting to the cultural differences, a person makes the final transition into the integration stage. At this stage, a student would look into blending in with the different forms of cultures surrounding him or her. They make take on certain influences as well like a particular student in the class might adopt a few traits from the new exchange student with respect to clothing, music or even learn their foreign language.