An investigation of the perceptions and attitudes of postgraduate students interacting with Turnitin: the case of the University of Stellenbosch Business School

Abstract

Globally there is growing concern around increased levels of plagiarism. Gullifer and Tyson (2010, p. 463) claim that plagiarism is growing at a rapid rate, and universities are now required to devote enough time and resources to combating it. South African universities have also found themselves to be victims of plagiarism. To prevent increased levels of plagiarism in South Africa, Stellenbosch University (SU) promotes the use of Turnitin. The study described in this thesis investigated postgraduate students’ and lecturer’s perceptions and attitudes regarding plagiarism and interacting with Turnitin at the University of Stellenbosch Business School to fill a research gap, as up to this point, this topic has not been studied. The study adopted a mixed methods approach, which combined both quantitative and qualitative methods. Moreover, the theory of planned behaviour informed the study.