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Assignment 3 for HMEMS80

Research Methodology (University of South Africa)

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PORTFOLIO OF EVIDENCE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

HMEMS80

Name and Surname: Tiffany Solomon

69815097
Student number:

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Description Page
PART 1
1. Declaration of authenticity 3
PART 2
2.1 Reflection on formative assessment 4
2.2 Weekly self-reflections 7
2.3 Reflection on the value of research 9
PART 3
3. Research Proposal 10
PART 4
4. Portfolio of evidence checklist 20

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PART 1

DECLARATION OF AUTHENTICITY

I, Tiffany Solomon

Student number: 69815097

declare that I am the author of this Portfolio of Evidence for HMEMS80. I further declare that
the entire Portfolio of Evidence is my own, original work and that where I used other
information and resources, I did so in a responsible manner. I did not plagiarise in any way and
have referenced and acknowledged any resources that I consulted and used to complete this
portfolio according to the requirements of the APA style of referencing. By signing this
declaration I acknowledge that I am aware of what plagiarism is, and the consequences thereof.
Furthermore, I acknowledge that I am aware of UNISA’s policy on plagiarism and understand
that if there is evidence of plagiarism within this document, UNISA will take action.

Date: 06/07/2020

Place: 34 Dennegeur Avenue Strandfontein

Signature: T Solomon

(Provide an electronic signature or type your name and surname again)

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PART 2

2.1 Reflection on formative assessment

Reflection on learning in Assignment 01

The main areas in which I struggled with in assignment 1 was writing up my problem statement
and writing the literature review. I had always struggled with writing a literature review because
I found it difficult to pick out which information from various sources would be the most
important and thereafter link information from numerous sources together in a clear concise
format. The feedback received had been fairly good however I feel that i made most of my errors
with referencing. The resources I used to check and more specifically used as a guide for this
current assignment is the APA referencing guide in the week 4 folder under additional headings.

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Reflection on learning in Assignment 02

In Assignment 2, the MCQ’s, I did fairly well. The questions I answered incorrectly was
questions 11, 14, 18, 35, 36 & 46. I found that each question had represented and area where I
struggled with mostly in the semester. The first area was referencing, which I also had struggled
with in the first assignment. The second was identifying the hypothesis and lastly knowing the
sample. When I started the assignment I was confident about these answers however the
feedback received showed me that I still have a lot of room for improvement.

When I received the feedback from the assignment I compared my answers to the lecturer’s
answers as well as engaged in a discussion with a class mate on clarifying these areas for me. I
also consulted the prescribed textbook as well as the referencing guide in week 4 to double check
the information which clarified where I went wrong in the assignment.

In this course, because the work had been laid out clear enough, I did not make much of my own
notes or references. This resulted in me going back and forth while doing the assignment which
made it seem unorganized. In future I feel that I should double check my work against my
resources used before submitting in addition to make notes of each section as I go along.

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2.2 Weekly self-evaluations

Include the two qualitative questions as self-reflections here for any three weeks of your choice.
In addition to including the content that you provided during the specific weeks, also add a
further reflection on how you feel about your answers at this point in time, now that you look
back at these reflections:

Nr Week Self-reflections

1A 6 11. Qualitative method is a great use to describe a phenomena and I feel

that it is useful in all research to start out using qualitative research to get
an initial understanding on current and up to date state of the research
topic. Therefore I would want to incorporate it in my research.

12. Research methods in general has not been my strong point in the past,
however the way the information is laid out in the textbook is really
helping me grasp and understand these concepts better. At this point I am
more comfortable with what descriptive and correlation methods but I
feel that I still struggle with developing good questions and that out of the
two I am more comfortable with correlation as it has to do more with
numerical evaluation.

1B 6 I’m still struggling with research as I’m finding this assignment fairly
challenging. However, I continue to try my best at understanding the
concepts and topics involved to produce an end product of good quality.

I find the textbook quite useful as it is laid out clearly and makes content
a bit easier to understand. Whenever I’m in doubt I always use it as a
point of reference.

2A 7 11. This week’s work has been a good refresher, however it is a lot to
wrap my head around. Experimental research does get very confusing as
they are very similar but slight differences therefore close attention to

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detail is needed.

I had to reread the concepts on validity more than once to just

comprehend them. They seem simple enough but sometimes that does get
tricky.

12. I think that going over the step by step each week first really helps.
You can allocate your time accordingly so that it doesn’t seem like you’re
doing too much on one day especially for us students that work full time
as well.

The workload is manageable, some week more intensive than others it

when broken down it is very doable and easy to manage.

2B 7 Since week 7, I had the chance to look over the areas which I did not
quite understand. Validity and reliability was key concepts which I
needed clarity on. Going over the work a third time as well as looking at
some additional studies helped me understand further and now I feel
comfortable to explain these concepts to another person.

In general, I think the layout of the course is a great help especially since
this has been my first attempt at distance learning. It helps the transition
from face to face learning as well as helping me as an individual manage
my time accordingly.

3A 8 11. I found this section quite challenging. Theoretically I understand the

concepts, however when I looked and did the practical examples I
struggled a bit. I struggled a bit with the different types of sampling and
think that I would need to reread the chapter again and maybe do a few
more practical examples to understand better.

12. Generally I am coping, though it is very tough. Each module I’m

enrolled in comes with study schedules which really helps me stay on the
bus. I feel the module is rushed and would like to spend more time on

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some weeks than others but sometimes other commitments do prevent

that. Overall this module is very organized and the step by step really
assists me in being on the bus.

3B 8 Looking at this reflection I can relate it to assignment 2 where sampling

was one of my problem areas and is also now an area which I am very
conscious about going into this assignment 3. I think that I should look at
more example and try and get a clearer understanding before I jump into
the sampling section of this assignment.

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2.3 Reflection on the value of research

Honours student

In any profession, the skill of research can be an acquired one and does not occur naturally. The
ability to do research as a professional is imperative as it ignites many desirable attributes in the
academic field (Hatziapostolou, Dranidis, Sotiriadou, Kefalas & Nikolakopoulos, 2018). These
desirable attributes, amongst many others, involve critical thinking, reading to understand and
comprehend information and sorting through searches. Even more so these skills enable students
to understand valuable processes, many research methods and the complexity of different
research techniques (Hatziapostolou et al, 2018).

Employee

Many organisations rely and sought after employees with the skills that are learnt in research.
These research skills assist individuals in looking at situations from different perspectives, think
critically and generate solutions (Murtonen, Olkinuora, Tynjälä & Lehtinen, 2008). The skills
that are learnt in research typically allow former students to contribute to development of the
working life of not just ourselves but colleagues as well (Murtonen et al, 2008). A personal
example can be that in my job I am required daily to provide innovative solutions to clients as
well as summarise the information they have given to me and further rely it to another. By being
active in a research course, I was able to develop the skill of being concise and sort through large
amounts of information in a good amount of time.

Citizen

Research is a big contributor to the improvement of our lives in South Africa (Jeenah & Pouris,
2008). As citizens it is essential for us that research be done so that development occurs in our
country which also improves our living standards.

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Reference

Hatziapostolou, T., Dranidis, D., Sotiriadou, A., Kefalas, P., & Nikolakopoulos, I. (2018). An

authentic student research experience: fostering research skills and boosting the

employability profile of students. In Proceedings of the 23rd Annual ACM Conference on

Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education (pp. 254-259).

Jeenah, M., & Pouris, A. (2008). South African research in the context of Africa and

globally. South African Journal of Science, 104(9-10), 351-354.

Murtonen, M., Olkinuora, E., Tynjälä, P., & Lehtinen, E. (2008). “Do I need research skills in

working life?”: University students’ motivation and difficulties in quantitative methods

courses. Higher Education, 56(5), 599-612.

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PART 3

Postgraduate students’ attitude towards plagiarism

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TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE

2. Literature review 12
2.1. Introduction 12
2.2. Variables 13
2.2.1. Plagiarism 13
2.2.2. Attitudes 13
2.3. Previous Research 14
2.3.1. Plagiarism Detection 14
2.3.2. Assessors 14

3. Problem statement 15

4. Objectives of the research 16

5. Method of investigation 16
5.1. Research design 16
5.2. Sampling 16
5.3. Data collection 17

6. Data analysis 17

7. Ethical considerations 17

8. Reference list 19

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2. Literature review
2.1. Introduction
Plagiarism has been characterised as an increasingly huge problem amongst universities all over
the world (Stuhmcke, Booth & Wangman, 2016). Even though extensive research has been done
on plagiarism and establishing what defines plagiarism, there is still confusion around what
constitutes plagiarism (Louw, 2017). The common thread amongst the basic assumptions of
plagiarism is that it is defined as an author using the work or ideas of another, without
accreditation and claiming it as their own work or idea (Alhadlaq, Dahmash & Alshomer, 2020).
The confusion around plagiarism stems from what actually constitutes plagiarism. There are
different understandings or views on what the answer to that should be, but Louw (2017)
elaborates that there are two key aspects that should be present when presenting your findings
based of another’s work. He elaborates further by saying that when one is paraphrasing another’s
work, there should be clear credit given to the original author such as referencing. Furthermore,
if one is presenting their idea which had been inspired by another, there must be clear indication
of ones added thoughts to the original idea in addition to clear credit given to the original author
(Louw, 2017). While these aspects shed some light on what lecturers, markers and assessors
should look out for, there is still great confusion amongst even them and illustrates that it is still
a concept that needs more interpretation (Gullifer & Tyson, 2014). With this in mind, research
shifted the perspective to then investigate why students plagiarise to then offer possible solutions
to decrease plagiarism (Walker, 2010).

Researchers have discovered that there are many reasons for the growing practice of plagiarism
such as students are just poorly skilled at paraphrasing or they are simply not aware on what
plagiarism is or the serious implications of the practice (Walker, 2010). Since plagiarism is such
an ambiguous and broad topic, this results in students engaging in plagiarism unintentionally
(Gullifer & Tyson, 2014). Even more so, student do not necessarily expect to be caught as they
are unaware of the serious implications plagiarism has on the educational community (Walker,
2010). Plagiarism in fact has an extremely negative influence on education as it defeats the
purpose of academics encouraging students to be strategic and independent (Alhadlaq et al,
2020). Since the growing need to eliminate the practice of plagiarism, universities have started

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using anti plagiarism software (Bruton & Childers, 2016). The most used software is Turnitin,
however, it is accompanied by its own set of challenges (Bruton & Childers, 20160. The use of
software such as Turnitin has seemly broken down student-teacher relationships and seen as
policing students rather than aiding those (Stuhmcke et al, 2016).

2.2. Variables

2.2.1. Plagiarism Awareness

One of the main reasons for plagiarism that is investigated is that students are simply unaware of
what plagiarism is and the repercussions of plagiarism (Walker, 2010). In this study, plagiarism
awareness can be defined as any definitions or knowledge around plagiarism that is given or
accessed (Walker, 2010). Walker (2010) suggests that young students, mainly undergraduates,
simply do not see the seriousness in plagiarism. Similarly, a study done at a Croatian university
concluded that students had a low level of knowledge surrounding plagiarism and the impacts
thereof (Alhadlaq et al, 2020). The study suggested that there should be awareness around
plagiarism to increase the knowledge surrounding the subject (Alhadlaq et al, 2020).

On the contrary, it has been noted that the problem does not lie in awareness but rather in the
idea that student do not possess the skills to not plagiarise (Louw, 2017). This idea is supported
by the findings of a study done amongst undergraduate students in New Zealand (Walker, 2010).
The results of the study illustrated that in fact plagiarism awareness increased the use of
plagiarism rather than decreased it (Walker, 2010). Walker (2010) concludes that awareness is
still suggested but emphasis should be put on the awareness of the implications of plagiarism
when conducting further research (Walker, 2010).

2.2.2. Attitudes
Attitudes in this study is defined as how students perceive plagiarism (Alhadlaq et al, 2020).
Walker, (2010) suggests that students, especially undergraduate students, are quite young and
immature therefore they are not focussed on the literature of a subject rather they only interest is
handing in the work. This shows that they perceive little risk in plagiarising another’s work.

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Similarly, a study done in Saudi Arabia has shown that students in their earlier years of study
have a more permissible attitude towards plagiarism than those in later years (Alhadlaq et al,
2020). On the other hand, students that are somewhat aware of what plagiarism confuse it with
collusion or cheating which offers dangers of its own. Where student do not understand what
plagiarism is entirely it leads to high anxiety and negative attitudes around the subject (Gullifer
& Tyson, 2014).

2.3. Previous Research

2.3.1. Turnitin
Given the increasing practice of plagiarism, there is an increasing use of anti-plagiarism software
(Bruton & Childers, 2016). Turnitin is viewed as the most popular plagiarism detection software
used at universities worldwide (Louw, 2017). Essentially Turnitin is a software that detects
similarity rather than plagiarism which results in a misconception on what student and academics
perceive plagiarism to be (Louw, 2017). Turnitin only detects similarities between the work
submitted and public sources such as public journals and Wikipedia (Walker, 2010). Plagiarism
can also be seen in ideas where the student does not offer additional significant contribution
towards but paraphrases well. In this case, Turnitin would not pick up that the student has
plagiarised (Walker, 2010). In addition, this can also relate to how plagiarism awareness
increases plagiarism as students will then figure out how to work around it (Walker, 2010).
Research has shown that those who believe that the use for Turnitin is to detect plagiarism
perceive it negatively (Louw, 2017).

2.3.2. Assessors
It is evident that a clear definition of plagiarism is still needed and consequently there is still
confusion around plagiarism amongst academics as well as students (Gullifer & Tyson, 2014). In
the bigger picture, academics are then not able to consistently follow through with procedures
around the universities plagiarism policy as not all academics will see plagiarism the same
(Stuhmcke et al, 2016). This is seen especially when academics use Turnitin as a direct source of
plagiarism. Due to Turnitin essentially detecting similarity rather than plagiarism, academics

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need to use their own discretion to determine if a student has plagiarised their work or not (Louw,
2017). Problems arise when academics and pupils have different understanding of what
plagiarism is and two main issues arise. The first issue, as mentioned before, there is no
consistent protocol among university academics which creates further confusion among students
(Stuhmcke et al, 2016). The second is that when tools that are ineffective to detecting plagiarism,
such as Turnitin is used, it hinders the relationship between the university and its students. This
is because software such as Turnitin is now seen and used as something to evoke fear in pupils
rather than assist them. Consequently, students have a greatly negative attitude towards what is
plagiarism (Stuhmcke et al, 2016).

3. Problem statement
It is clear there are some gaps in the previous research such as a clear understanding on what
plagiarism means to students and how awareness impacts their attitudes towards plagiarism
(Walker, 2010). Evidently there is much controversy around how plagiarism affects student’s use
of plagiarism. This is because one study concluded that increased plagiarism awareness in fact
increased plagiarism (Walker, 2010). On the other hand another study suggested that there
should be awareness around plagiarism to increase the knowledge surrounding the subject
(Alhadlaq et al, 2020). This shows that more research needs to be done investigating how it
plagiarism awareness and tools impact student’s attitudes towards plagiarism. In addition, most
studies that’s been conducted was in Australia, China or New Zealand, it would be beneficial to
conduct this research in the South African context. Furthermore, most studies also only
investigated undergraduate students where one study established that students such as
undergraduates are quite young and don’t comprehend the serious impact of plagiarism (Walker,
2010). Therefore, this study will be valuable as it will add insight on postgraduate attitudes
towards plagiarism based on their awareness.

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4. Objectives of the research

Most research found is done outside of South Africa and based on undergraduate students. This
study aims to do the following:

 To conceptualise what students at a postgraduate level understand plagiarism to be

 To gain more insight into the attitudes of postgraduate students of a South African
university
 To understand postgraduate students attitudes towards plagiarism

5. Method of investigation

5.1. Research design

A qualitative research method will be used. Qualitative research would be the best method since
it deals with understanding the views of the population (Bruton & Childers, 2016). More
specifically, the research design will be a Phenomenological design as phenomenology aims to
gain insight in the perspectives of the population towards a phenomena (Willig, 2013). This
design is appropriate because the aim is to understand the attitudes of South African
postgraduate’s students as well as explore what these students understand about plagiarism.

5.2. Sampling

The population of this study will be all honours students that are registered for a research
methodology course at UNISA in 2020 (N = 2100). The participants in the study will be chosen
using probability sampling method, specifically simple random sampling. The probability
sampling method allows for sample to represent the population and consequently results can
possess high generalisability (Onwuegbuzie & Leech, 2007). This is because probability
sampling is determined by random rules which increases the representation and generalisability.
The probability sampling method which will be use is simple random sampling. Simple random
sampling is favourable as it allows every person in the population to have an equal chance at

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participating in the study which also eliminates bias (Onwuegbuzie & Leech, 2007). From the
population, 20 students will be randomly selected from the honours student database.

5.3. Data collection

Data will be collected by means of a survey that consists of three open ended questions. The
questions will read as follows:

 Describe in 100 words or less what you understand by plagiarism.

 Why you think it’s important to understand plagiarism in Research.
 Explain your feelings around referencing or citing work in research.

Once the participants have given their permission to participate in the study, the questions will be
distributed via their MyLife email address. Using open ended questions is appropriate as it
allows the participants to express their views without being limited to a specific response. The
Participants will however have two days to complete their responses once the questions have
been distributed.

6. Data analysis
Once the data is received, the process of thematic analysis will be used to analyse the responses.
Initially, the researcher will read over the responses to get a general idea of the responses.
Thereafter the researcher will read over the responses a second time, however developing codes
as they read. These codes must represent what the researcher want to convey to the public
(Stuckey, 2015). By coding, the researcher will eventually develop themes that illustrate the
narrative of the responses.

7. Ethical considerations
The study will be submitted to the ethics committee of UNISA in order for permission to be
granted to conduct the study. Participants will be then be contacted with a full description of
what the study is about and what it entails. Participants will be informed that their participation is

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completely voluntary and they are able to withdraw at any time. Additionally, they will be
informed that their identity and information is completely anonymous and will only be used for
the purpose of this study otherwise it is completely confidential. The study will proceed once
they have agreed to participate in the study.

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8. Reference list

Bruton, S., & Childers, D. (2016). The ethics and politics of policing plagiarism: A qualitative

study of faculty views on student plagiarism and Turnitin®. Assessment & Evaluation in

Higher Education, 41(2), 316-330.

Gullifer, J.M., & Tyson, G.A. (2014). Who has read the policy on plagiarism? Unpacking

students’ understanding of plagiarism. Studies in Higher Education, 39(7), 1202-1218,

DOI: 10.1080/03075079.2013.777412

Louw, H. (2017). Defining plagiarism: student and staff perceptions of a grey concept. South

African Journal of Higher Education, 31(5), 116-135.

Onwuegbuzie, A. J., & Leech, N. L. (2007). Sampling designs in qualitative research: Making

the sampling process more public. Qualitative Report, 12(2), 238-254.

Stuckey, H. L. (2015). The second step in data analysis: Coding qualitative research data. Journal

of Social Health and Diabetes, 3(1), 7-10.

Stuhmcke, A., Booth, T., & Wangmann, J. (2016). The illusory dichotomy of plagiarism.

Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 41(7), 982-995, DOI:

10.1080/02602938.2015.1053428

Walker, J. (2010). Measuring plagiarism: researching what students do, not what they say they

do. Studies in Higher Education, 35(1), 41-59. DOI: 10.1080/03075070902912994

Willig, C. (2013). Introducing qualitative research in psychology. UK: McGraw-Hill Education.

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PORTFOLIO OF EVIDENCE

HMEMS80

CHECKLIST

DESCRIPTION OF EVIDENCE TO INSERT IN Check 

PORTFOLIO OF EVIDENCE

Part 1 

Cover page completed 

Declaration of authenticity fully completed 

Part 2 

2.1 Reflection on formative assessment 

Reflection on learning in Assignment 01 

Reflection on learning in Assignment 02 

2.2 Weekly self-evaluations 

2.3 Reflection on the value of research 

Part 3 

Research Proposal Task 

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